Cataclysta lemnata

Small china-mark
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Crambidae
Genus: Cataclysta
Species:
C. lemnata
Binomial name
Cataclysta lemnata
Synonyms
  • Cataclysta lemnae G. W. Müller, 1892
  • Cataclysta lemnata ab. ochracea Hauder, 1910
  • Cataclysta lemnata brunneospersa Osthelder, 1935
  • Cataclysta lemnata confirmata Krulikovsky, 1909
  • Cataclysta confirmata Krulikovsky, 1907
  • Cataclysta limnalis Berce, 1878
  • Phalaena limnata Fabricius, 1787
  • Phalaena gemmata Hufnagel, 1767
  • Phalaena Tinea bordella Goeze, 1783
  • Phalaena Tortrix albana O. F. Müller, 1764
  • Phalaena uliginata Fabricius, 1794
  • Pyralis lemnalis Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
  • Tinea marginatella Fourcroy, 1785

Cataclysta lemnata, the small china-mark,[2] is a moth species of the family Crambidae. It is found in Europe (including Great Britain and Ireland),[2] Morocco and Iran.[3]

Adults of the species are sexually dimorphic.[3] The wingspan is 18–19 mm for males and 22–24 mm for females. The forewings are white. The costa, discal spot and a series of terminal spots are all fuscous. The hindwings are white with scattered pale fuscous scales.[4] Meyrick describes it- The forewings in male are whitish, with a yellowish-fuscous discal dot, traces of lines, and a pale brownish terminal streak; in female pale brownish, ochreous-mixed, with a darker discal spot, lines very indistinct, whitish, darker-edged, a whitish siibterminal streak. Hindwings are white; a dark fuscous discal dot; lines outlined with fuscous, sometimes nearly obsolete, first preceded by a yellow or fuscous spot in disc; subterminal and terminal ochreous lines enclosing a black fascia marked with four bluish-silvery dots. The larva is dark green or blackish; dorsal line black; head pale brown.[5] See also Parsons et al.[6]

The moth flies from May to August depending on the location.

Larvae are semiaquatic.[3] C. lemnata larvae have been recorded feeding on duckweed species (including Lemna species[3] and Spirodela polyrhiza[7]), as well as water ferns of the genus Azolla.[3] The species is known to pupate in cocoons[7] or shelters[3] built from plant material.

References

  1. ^ Nuss, M.; et al. (2003–2011). "GlobIZ search". Global Information System on Pyraloidea. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Small China-mark Cataclysta lemnata". UKMoths. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Farahpour-Haghani, Atousa; Hassanpour, Mahdi; Alinia, Faramarz; Nouri-Ganbalani, Gadir; Razmjou, Jabraeil; Agassiz, David (20 January 2017). "Water ferns Azolla spp. (Azollaceae) as new host plants for the small China-mark moth, Cataclysta lemnata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera, Crambidae, Acentropinae)". Nota Lepidopterologica. 40 (1): 1–13. doi:10.3897/nl.40.10062. ISSN 2367-5365.
  4. ^ Agassiz, David J. L. (2012). "The Acentropinae (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea: Crambidae) of Africa" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3494: 1–73. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3494.1.1. ISBN 978-1-86977-986-3.
  5. ^ Meyrick, E., 1895 A Handbook of British Lepidoptera MacMillan, London pdf This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Keys and description
  6. ^ Mark Parsons, Sean Clancy, David Wilson A Guide to the Pyralid and Crambid Moths of Britain and Ireland: Atropos, England. ISBN 9780955108648
  7. ^ a b Pabis, Krzysztof (2014). "Life cycle, host plants and abundance of caterpillars of the aquatic moth Cataclysta lemnata (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in the post-glacial lake in central Poland" (PDF). North-Western Journal of Zoology. 10 (2): 441–444. ISSN 1843-5629. Retrieved 30 January 2017.