Philonome
Chambers, 1874
Species Guides
3- Philonome clemensella(Clemens' Philonome Moth)
- Philonome nigrescens
- Philonome wielgusi
Philonome is a of small established by Chambers in 1874. The genus has undergone taxonomic revision, previously placed in Tineidae or Bucculatricidae but now generally accepted in Lyonetiidae. It contains approximately 12 described , with several species described by Sohn & Davis in 2015 based on North American material. The genus shows a predominantly Nearctic distribution with records from the United States.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Philonome: //fɪˈlɒnoʊmiː//
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Distribution
Recorded from the United States, specifically Vermont. Distribution appears predominantly Nearctic based on available specimen records.
Misconceptions
The placement of this has been historically unstable. It was long treated as Tineidae in older literature (including Wikipedia), but modern sources place it in Lyonetiidae. Users should verify family-level identification against current taxonomic databases.
More Details
Taxonomic History
Chambers described the in 1874. It was subsequently placed in Lyonetiidae or Bucculatricidae by various authors. Recent taxonomic work by Sohn & Davis (2015) expanded the genus with seven new and clarified its systematic position.
Species Diversity
The includes 12 currently recognized : P. albivittata, P. clemensella, P. cuprescens, P. curvilineata, P. euryarga, P. kawakitai, P. lambdagrapha, P. nigrescens, P. penerivifera, P. rivifera, P. spectata, and P. wielgusi. Two additional names (P. albella, P. luteella) are treated as former species.