New Engima Moth Discovered on Kangaroo Island in South Australia
Posted on March 4, 2015
6-27A new moth species has been discovered on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. The moth, named Engima moth, lives on Southern Cypress-pine trees. It has iridescent gold and purple wings. Researchers from CSIRO, Australia's national science research agency, say the moth is a "living dinosaur" and represents an entirely new family of primitive moths.The scientific name for the moth is Aenigmatinea glatzella. The moths are less than 10mm long. The wings of the Engima moths have feathery fringes and are covers in gold and purple scales. The larva of the new moth species feeds on conifers.
ABC News reports that Enigma moths have very short life spans. They mate and die the same die they emerge from their cocoons.
Dr Edwards, an Honorary Fellow with CSIRO's Australian National Insect Collection, says in a statement, "While the discovery of this new moth strengthens the evolutionary relationships between other primitive moth families, it also suggests that tongues evolved in moths and butterflies more than once."
A research paper on the new moth species was published here in the journal, Systematic Entomology. Take a look: