en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Many-plumed_moth
1 correction found
They are found mostly in temperate to subtropical (but not tropical) regions.
This is incorrect because many-plumed moths do occur in tropical regions, including tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, and tropical America.
Full reasoning
Recent taxonomic literature directly contradicts the parenthetical claim "but not tropical".
- A 2018 ZooKeys paper on Mount Cameroon states that 15 species of Alucitidae were recorded there and that the site became "the richest known Afrotropical locality for the Alucitidae". Mount Cameroon is in tropical West/Central Africa.
- A 2024 follow-up paper reports that 36 species occur in the Mount Cameroon area and says the area hosts a major share of the Afrotropical Alucitidae fauna, again showing substantial diversity in the tropics.
- The current Catalogue of World Alucitoidea also lists Alucitidae species from clearly tropical places such as Cameroon, Malawi, Indonesia (Papua/Irian Jaya), Ecuador, and Venezuela.
So while some many-plumed moths occur in temperate and subtropical regions, it is false to say they are not tropical. There are well-documented tropical Alucitidae faunas, especially in the Afrotropics and tropical parts of the Americas and Southeast Asia.
3 sources
- A newly discovered biodiversity hotspot of many-plumed moths in the Mount Cameroon area: first report on species diversity, with description of nine new species (Lepidoptera, Alucitidae) - PMC
Fifteen species of many-plumed moths are recorded from the Mount Cameroon area, SW Cameroon, West Africa... By these records, the Mount Cameroon area has become the richest known Afrotropical locality for the Alucitidae.
- Magnifying the hotspot: descriptions of nine new species of many-plumed moths (Lepidoptera, Alucitidae), with an identification key to all species known from Cameroon - PMC
Of the 89 Alucitidae known from the Afrotropics, the studied area hosts 36 species, most of which are endemic to the area... Key words: Afrotropics ... tropical rainforest.
- Catalogue of World Alucitoidea
The catalogue lists Alucitidae species from tropical localities, including Venezuela (Alinguata neblina), Ecuador (Alinguata tinalandia), Indonesia/Irian Jaya (Alucita abenahoensis; A. anticoma), and Cameroon/Malawi (Alucita acalyptra).