Meskea dyspteraria
Grote, 1877
Window-winged Moth
Meskea dyspteraria is a in the Thyrididae, commonly known as the Window-winged Moth. It is documented as a for the Calliephialtes grapholithae, placing it among a group of moth with concealed larval stages that serve as hosts for this ichneumonid wasp. The species belongs to the Siculodinae, a group characterized by distinctive wing .
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Meskea dyspteraria: /ˈmɛskiə dɪsptəˈrɛəriə/
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Images
Host Associations
- Calliephialtes grapholithae - Larvae of Meskea dyspteraria serve as a recorded for this ichneumonid . This association was documented in host databases and cited in ecological studies of paper wasp nest .
More Details
Host record context
The relationship between Meskea dyspteraria and Calliephialtes grapholithae was noted in a 2022 blog post documenting an unusual paper wasp nest association. The author, Eric Eaton, observed that C. grapholithae emerged from a Polistes metricus nest, hypothesizing that the parasitized Chalcoela iphitalis caterpillars that were predatory on the wasp larvae. Meskea dyspteraria was listed among previously documented hosts for C. grapholithae, all of which are moth larvae with concealed feeding habits.
Taxonomic placement
The is placed in Siculodinae within Thyrididae, a sometimes called window-winged moths due to characteristic transparent or semi-transparent wing patches.