Patania

Moore, 1888

mother of pearl moth

Patania is a of in the Crambidae, Spilomelinae, established by Frederic Moore in 1888. The genus was long treated as a junior synonym of Syllepte but was reinstated as valid in 2007, rendering Pleuroptya a junior subjective synonym. The genus contains multiple across Asia and Europe, with some species recently transferred to the reinstated genus Nagiella.

Patania silicalis by (c) Annika Lindqvist, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Annika Lindqvist. Used under a CC-BY license.

Patania silicalis by (c) David Dodd, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by David Dodd. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Patania: //pəˈtæ.ni.ə//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Patania are distinguished from related by genitalic characters and molecular phylogenetic relationships. Patania crepuscularia and P. harutai are externally similar but not sister species, requiring examination of or association for reliable identification. The genus was historically confused with Syllepte and Pleuroptya.

Images

Distribution

Recorded from Korea, Japan, and Europe; distribution varies by . Patania ruralis occurs in Europe. Korean records include nine species. Japanese fauna includes at least ten species based on molecular phylogenetic studies.

Host Associations

Styracaceae - larval of P. crepuscularia
Sapindaceae - larval of P. harutai

Behavior

Patania ruralis exhibits alternation . Specific behaviors for other are not documented in available sources.

Similar Taxa

SylleptePatania was long considered a junior synonym of Syllepte; separated based on revised taxonomic analysis in 2007
PleuroptyaJunior subjective synonym of Patania; widely used name now synonymized
NagiellaReinstated to which some former Patania have been transferred, including P. quadrimaculalis and P. inferior

More Details

Taxonomic History

The underwent significant revision in 2007 when removed from synonymy with Syllepte. This made Patania the senior synonym to Pleuroptya. Further changes included transfer of some to Nagiella. Patania gorosoe was described in 2022 but subsequently synonymized with P. harutai in 2023, with the Styracaceae-feeding recognized as distinct species P. crepuscularia.