Erechthias simulans
species of insect
Erechthias simulans is a species of fungus moth (family Tineidae). It is here considered to belong to the somewhat controversial type genus of its subfamily Erechthiinae, though even fairly recently some authors have proposed to retain other genera such as Decadarchis separate from Erechthias. Decadarchis, with E. simulans as type species (under the obsolete name Decadarchis melanastra), would in fact contain this moth and its closest relatives, regardless whether it is recognized as full genus or as subgenus. These relatives are generally held to be a group of mainly Polynesian species. E. simulans has also been mistaken for a species of the closely related genus Comodica; while the delimitation of this versus Erechthias/Decadarchis is not universally agreed upon, E. simulans is not included in Comodica anymore by modern authors.
This moth is widespread across Polynesia and ranges into some adjacent regions. It is known from Fiji, Samoa, the Ellice Islands, the Hawaiian Islands (including Midway Island), the Marquesas (at least Hiva Oa, Nuku Hiva, Tahuata), the Society Islands and Solomon Islands, Australia (at least Queensland), and eastern Africa. On higher islands, it may preferably occur near the coast. Its original distribution is probably undeterminable; it shows some traits of a supertramp species, but has likely been assisted to spread across its present range by human transport of its food plants.
Description and ecology
The wingspan is 15–20 mm (about 2⁄3 inch).
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