Zanclognatha | |
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Zanclognatha tarsipennalis | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
Family: | Erebidae |
Subfamily: | Herminiinae |
Genus: | Zanclognatha Lederer, 1857 |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Zanclognatha is a genus of litter moths of the family Erebidae. The genus was erected by Julius Lederer in 1857.[2][3]
Zanclognatha was considered synonym of Polypogon in 1989.[4] It became its own genus in 1991,[5] but then became a synonym of Polypogon again in 1996.[6] However, sources from 1998 and 2005 recommend keeping the two genera split.[7][8]
It is not clear how many valid species are part of the genus; some species are likely made up of at least two valid species-level taxa that have yet to be officially split, and there are some familiar taxa that have not yet been described to science. Adult Zanclognatha species are often difficult to tell apart; wing patterns and genital morphology, two characters often used to distinguish moth species, are not necessarily useful for classifying them. The larvae are more distinctive and may be more helpful in future studies of the genus.[9]