Ectropis

Ectropis
Small Engrailed (E. crepuscularia sensu stricto) Scale in centimeters
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Geometridae
Subfamily:	Ennominae
Tribe:	Boarmiini
Genus:	Ectropis Hübner, [1825]
Type species
Geometra crepuscularia Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
Diversity
About 100 species
Synonyms
Boarmia Stephens, 1829 (non Treitschke, 1825: preoccupied) Coenobita Gistl, 1848 (non Latreille, 1829: preoccupied) Tephrosia Boisduval, 1840

Ectropis is a genus in the geometer moth family (Geometridae). They are mostly paleotropical, but also plentiful in Australia and extend into Asia. Only one species – or cryptic species complex – (The Engrailed/Small Engrailed, E. bistortata/E. crepuscularia) is found in Europe. There are about 100 known species in this genus altogether.^[1]

Systematics and taxonomy

All junior synonyms of Ectropis use G. crepuscularia as type species, and thus, even though this large genus might warrant subgeneric division, no names are presently available. Apart from Tephrosia, established by J.B. Boisduval in 1840, the synonyms are also junior homonyms and consequently completely invalid.^[2]

One of them, Coenobita, was proposed by J. Gistl in 1848. Gistl was unaware that J. Hübner had described the genus Ectropis, but he knew of Boisduval's Tephrosia. However, Gistl misread the name of the spider genus Theraphosa (established by C.A. Walckenaer in 1805) as Tephrosia, and thus came to believe that Tephrosia was in need of a new name. He chose Coenobita, which to his misfortune had been given to a genus of hermit crabs by Latreille in 1829 already.^[3]

The other preoccupied synonym, Boarmia, had earlier been given to closely related moths. That group is now included in Hypomecis, which thus has become the type genus of the tribe Boarmiini in the geometer moth subfamily Ennominae. Ectropis is also a member of the Boarmiini.^[4]

Selected species

Species of Ectropis include:^[5]

Ectropis albobrunnea Herbulot, 1981 Ectropis adtenuata Herbulot, 1999 Ectropis aganopa (Meyrick, 1892) Ectropis albiquadrata Herbulot, 1999 Ectropis amphitromera Prout, 1911 Ectropis anisa Prout, 1915 Ectropis anisoides Herbulot, 1981 Ectropis annumerata Prout, 1925 Ectropis argalea Meyrick, 1892 Ectropis arizanensis Wileman, 1915 Ectropis basalis Herbulot, 1981 Ectropis bhurmitra (Walker, 1860) Ectropis bicolor Herbulot, 1972 Ectropis bispinaria Ectropis bistortatoides Herbulot, 1954 Ectropis brevifasciata Wileman, 1912 Ectropis brooksi Holloway, 1976 Ectropis calida Goldfinch, 1944 Ectropis celsicola Herbulot, 1972 Ectropis chopardi Herbulot, 1954 Ectropis contradicta Herbulot, 1972 Ectropis consentanea Sato, 1992 Ectropis cornuta Herbulot, 1968 Ectropis crepuscularia – The Engrailed, Small Engrailed (including E. bistortata) Ectropis despicata Herbulot, 1981 Ectropis distinctaria (de Joannis, 1915) Ectropis dribraria (Swinhoe, 1904) Ectropis elaphrodes Fletcher D. S., 1958 Ectropis emphona (Prout, 1925) Ectropis excellens (Butler, 1884) Ectropis excursaria – Twig Looper Ectropis floresensis Sato, 2007 Ectropis fossa Herbulot, 1981 Ectropis fractaria Ectropis fraudulenta Janse, 1932 Ectropis gozmanyi Fletcher D. S., 1978

Ectropis gravis (Turner, 1947) Ectropis hero Viette, 1971 Ectropis herbuloti Sato, 2007 Ectropis holmi Fletcher D. S., 1958 Ectropis ikonda Herbulot, 1981 Ectropis inversa Fletcher D. S., 1958 Ectropis ischnadelpha L.B.Prout, 1932 Ectropis lignea Goldfinch, 1944 Ectropis longiscapia Prout, 1926 Ectropis loxosira Prout, 1932 Ectropis lutamentaria (Graeser, 1888) Ectropis maromokotra Viette, 1980 Ectropis milloti Herbulot, 1954 Ectropis mniara Turner, 1917 Ectropis moderata Herbulot, 1972 Ectropis nigripunctata Warren, 1897 Ectropis obliquilinea Prout, 1916 Ectropis ocellata Warren, 1902 Ectropis oleitincta Prout, 1931 Ectropis paracopa Prout, 1925 Ectropis pauliani Herbulot, 1954 Ectropis pluto Viette, 1971 Ectropis prospila (Prout, 1916) Ectropis pais Prout, 1931 Ectropis petrozona (Lower, 1900) Ectropis schintlmeisteri Sato, 1992 Ectropis scoblei Herbulot, 1999 (formerly E. despicata Herbulot, 1981) Ectropis sogai Herbulot, 1981 Ectropis spoliataria (Walker, 1860) Ectropis subapicata (Warren, 1904) Ectropis sublimbata (Warren, 1911) Ectropis sublutea (Butler, 1880) Ectropis superuncina Herbulot, 1972 Ectropis susceptaria Walker Ectropis ulterior Herbulot, 1954 Ectropis vadoni Herbulot, 1954

Some species formerly included here are now placed elsewhere, e.g. in Calcyopa, Myrioblephara or Parectropis

Footnotes

1. Pitkin & Jenkins (2004c), ABRS (2010), FE (2011)
2. Pitkin & Jenkins (2004abc)
3. Pitkin & Jenkins (2004b)
4. Pitkin & Jenkins (2004a), FE (2011)
5. ABRS (2010), and see references in Savela (2010)

References

• afromoths.net

• Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) (2010): Australian Faunal Directory – Ectropis. Version of 2010-MAY-28. Retrieved 2011-APR-21.
• Fauna Europaea (FE) (2011): Ectropis. Version 2.4, 2011-JAN-27. Retrieved 2011-APR-21.
• Pitkin, Brian & Jenkins, Paul (2004a): Butterflies and Moths of the World, Generic Names and their Type-species – Boarmia Stephens, 1829. Version of 2004-NOV-05. Retrieved 2011-APR-21.
• Pitkin, Brian & Jenkins, Paul (2004b): Butterflies and Moths of the World, Generic Names and their Type-species – Coenobita Gistl, 1848. Version of 2004-NOV-05. Retrieved 2011-APR-21.
• Pitkin, Brian & Jenkins, Paul (2004c): Butterflies and Moths of the World, Generic Names and their Type-species – Ectropis. Version of 2004-NOV-05. Retrieved 2011-APR-21.
• Savela, Markku (2010): Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms – Ectropis. Version of 2010-JUL-04. Retrieved 2011-APR-21.