Animalia > Arthropoda > Insecta > Lepidoptera > Erebidae > Pseudosphex

Pseudosphex

Synonyms: Myrmecopsis; Sphecopsis

Wikipedia Abstract

Pseudosphex is a genus of tiger moths in the Erebidae family. These moths are mimics of a variety of Hymenoptera. The prefix "pseudo" means "false," and Sphex is a type genus of wasps. "In the cases of moths being like various species of the Hymenoptera aculeata [stinging wasps] it is impossible to argue that the same environment and general conditions can produce habits in moths which are of no use whatever to them except as a disguise. But if the moths themselves were not like the wasps one might argue that it was accidental that the habits were so alike, but the general appearance and structure are in conjunction with the habits so alike that in the species of Pseudosphex it is impossible to distinguish moth from wasp on the flower-heads of Ageratum conyzoides unless one is within eight
View Wikipedia Record: Pseudosphex

Species

External References

Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0