Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Lepidoptera
- Family: Crambidae
- Subfamily: Odontiinae
- Genus: Clupeosoma Warren, 1892
- Species: Clupeosoma sericialis (Hampson, 1916)
Authority
The species was first described by the British entomologist George Francis Hampson in 1916, originally under the name Nacoleia sericialis (subsequently transferred to the genus Clupeosoma).
Description
Clupeosoma sericialis belongs to a group of small to medium‑sized moths characterized by slender bodies and typically pale, often subtly patterned wings. The specific epithet “sericialis” derives from the Latin sericeus meaning “silken,” a reference that likely pertains to the moth’s smooth, glossy wing surface. Detailed morphological characteristics (e.g., wing span, coloration, genitalia structure) for this species have not been widely published in accessible secondary literature.
Distribution and Habitat
Published distributional data for C. sericialis are sparse. The original description by Hampson was based on specimens from the Indo‑Myanmar region, but subsequent records in major lepidopteran databases (e.g., GlobIZ, LepIndex) do not provide a comprehensive range map. Consequently, the precise geographic distribution and preferred habitats (e.g., forest type, altitude) remain poorly documented.
Biology and Ecology
No specific information on the life cycle, host plants, or ecological role of C. sericialis is currently available in the scientific literature. As a member of the family Crambidae, its larvae are presumed to be phytophagous, but host associations for this species have not been recorded.
Taxonomic Notes
The genus Clupeosoma comprises a number of species distributed throughout the Old World tropics and subtropics. Taxonomic revisions of the group have occasionally moved species among related genera within Odontiinae; however, C. sericialis has remained consistently placed in Clupeosoma since its transfer from Nacoleia.
References
- Hampson, G. F. (1916). Descriptions of new Pyralidae of the subfamilies Hydrocampinae, Scoparianae and Phycitinae. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 8, 18(103): 511–534.
- Nuss, M. et al. (2003–2023). Global Information System on Pyraloidea (GlobIZ). Retrieved from https://globiz.pyraloidea.org.
- Natural History Museum, London. (n.d.). LepIndex – The Global Lepidoptera Names Index.
Notes on Available Information
While the taxonomic status of Clupeosoma sericialis is established, most aspects of its biology, distribution, and ecology remain insufficiently documented in publicly accessible sources. Further field studies and taxonomic reviews are required to fill these knowledge gaps.