Douglas Main,
OurAmazingPlanet Staff Writer
Date: 16 April
2013 Time: 05:16 PM ET
Two new
species of previously unknown moths have been discovered in the Russian Far
East, northeast of Mongolia
As larvae, the
moths form strange, cradlelike cocoons from leaves before hatching.
The moths may
have gone undiscovered for so long because they are difficult to collect;
unlike most moths, they don't usually fly toward lights, a common method of
capturing insects for identification, according to the study, published
recently in the journal ZooKeys.
In the study,
the authors describe the bodies of the new moths, as
well as their genitals, which differ enough to make them unique. Scientists
often examine genitals to distinguish between different types of moths and
other insects.
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One of the new moth species, Ypsolopha straminella.
CREDIT: M. Ponomarenko (
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The new
species are both part of the genus Ypsolophid, and have been named Ypsolopha melanofuscella and Ypsolopha straminella. There are now a
total of 30 species known in this genus in Russia
"Studying
the species diversity in East Asia as a whole and in the Far East of Russia in
particular is an important endeavor … only the first step in a long row
of scientific tasks towards forming a primary database for further theoretical
reconstructions and conclusions for the benefit of biodiversity
conservation," said Margarita Ponomarenko, a researcher at the Far Eastern
Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, in a news release describing the study.
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