Catapterix Explained

Catapterix is a small genus of moths in the family Acanthopteroctetidae, with species occurring in Europe and Central Asia. The genus was previously considered monotypic, with Catapterix crimaea as its sole known species, until the formal description of Catapterix tianshanica in 2016.^[1]

Distribution

The type species, C. crimaea, is known from the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine^[2] and from southern France,^[3] whereas C. tianshanica is described from Kyrgyzstan.^[1]

Taxonomy

The genus was originally placed in its own family, Catapterigidae,^[4] which is now considered a synonym of Acanthopteroctetidae.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Mey. Wolfram. Rutjan. Evgeniy. Catapterix tianshanica sp. n. – the second species of the genus from the Palaearctic Region (Lepidoptera, Acanthopteroctetidae). Nota Lepidopterologica. 28 September 2016. 39. 2. 145–150. 10.3897/nl.39.9882. 3 December 2016. free.
2. https://web.archive.org/web/20160305204550/http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=431742 Fauna Europaea
3. Nel . J. . Varenne . T. . van Nieukerken . Erik . Découverte en France d'un lépidoptère "primitif", Catapterix crimaea Zagulajev & Sinev, 1988 (Lepidoptera, Neopseustoidea, Acanthopteroctetidae) . Revue de l'Association Roussillonnaise d'Entomologie . 1 January 2016 . XXV . 3 . 153–156 . fr . 1288-5509.
4. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/butmoth/search/GenusDetails.dsml?NUMBER=5264.0&& Butterflies and Moths of the World - Generic Names and their Type-species
5. Web site: De Prins . J. . De Prins . W. . Catapterigidae (Zagulajev & Sinev, 1988) . AfroMoths . 24 April 2023.