Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Lepidoptera
- Family: Gelechiidae
- Genus: Scrobipalpa Janse, 1951
- Species: Scrobipalpa planodes (Meyrick, 1910)
Authority
The species was first described by the British entomologist Edward Meyrick in 1910 in his work on South African micro‑Lepidoptera.
Description
The original description characterises the adult moth as a small gelechiid with a wingspan of approximately 12 mm. The forewings are reported as greyish‑ochreous, bearing indistinct darker markings and a few scattered dark fuscous scales. The hindwings are pale grey. Detailed morphological characters, such as genitalia structures used for definitive identification, are documented in Meyrick’s original publication and subsequent taxonomic revisions of the genus Scrobipalpa.
Distribution
Scrobipalpa planodes is known from the Afrotropical region, with verified records from South Africa. The precise localities within the country have been listed in regional faunal surveys and in the online database Afromoths.
Biology and Ecology
- Habitat: The species has been collected in habitats typical for many gelechiid moths, including shrublands and areas where host plants are present.
- Life cycle: Information on the larval host plants and developmental stages of S. planodes has not been published; thus, its biology remains poorly known.
- Phenology: Adults have been recorded in the austral summer months, but the full flight period has not been comprehensively documented.
Conservation Status
No specific assessment has been made for S. planodes on the IUCN Red List. Its conservation status is therefore considered Data Deficient.
References
- Meyrick, E. (1910). “Descriptions of South African Micro‑Lepidoptera.” Annals of the South African Museum, 5: 152–161.
- De Prins, J. & De Prins, W. (2023). “Scrobipalpa planodes (Meyrick, 1910).” Afromoths, online database of Afrotropical moth species (www.afromoths.net). Accessed 2026.
- Janse, A. J. T. (1951). The Moths of South Africa, Volume 1: Gelechiidae. Pretoria: South African Museum.
Note: While the taxonomic and distributional information for Scrobipalpa planodes is established in entomological literature, many aspects of its biology, ecology, and conservation remain insufficiently documented.