Mabra Explained

Mabra is a genus of moths of the family Crambidae. It is placed in the tribe Portentomorphini of the subfamily Pyraustinae.^[1] The nine species of the genus are mainly distributed in tropical Asia, but M. metallescens and M. russoi are found in tropical Central and South America.

The larval host plant is known for only one species, M. eryxalis, which feeds on Phyllanthus urinaria in the Phyllanthaceae family.^[2]

Species

• Mabra elephantophila Bänziger, 1985
• Mabra eryxalis (Walker, 1859)
• Mabra fauculalis Walker, 1859
• Mabra fuscipennalis Hampson, 1897
• Mabra haematophaga Bänziger, 1985
• Mabra lacriphaga Bänziger, 1985
• Mabra metallescens (C. Felder, R. Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875)
• Mabra nigriscripta Swinhoe, 1895
• Mabra russoi Schaus, 1940

Former species

• Mabra charonialis (Walker, 1859), now placed in Dolicharthria
• Mabra garzettalis (C. Felder, R. Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875), now placed in Blepharomastix

References

• Crambidae genus list at Butterflies and Moths of the World of the Natural History Museum

Notes and References

1. Matsui . Yuki . Mally . Richard . Kohama . Sari . Aoki . Itsuzai . Azuma . Masaaki . Naka . Hideshi . 2022 . Molecular phylogenetics and tribal classification of Japanese Pyraustinae and Spilomelinae (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) . Insect Systematics & Evolution . 54 . 77–106 . 10.1163/1876312X-bja10037 . 251511500 .
2. Tominaga . S. . 2010 . Hostplants of three pyraustine species observed in Okinawa-jima Is., Okinawa Pref. . Japan Heterocerists' Journal . Tokyo . 258 . 189–191 .