Prothysana felderi

Prothysana felderi is a moth in the family Apatelodidae, whose larvae are known as shag-carpet caterpillars. It is found from Mexico, south to Panama and into South America, at least to Ecuador.

Prothysana felderi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Apatelodidae
Genus:	Prothysana
Species:	P. felderi
Binomial name
Prothysana felderi (Druce, 1887[1])
Synonyms
Tarchon felderi Druce, 1887 Zolessia felderi

Taxonomy

Vitor Osmar Becker included Compsa saturata and Mimallo trilunula as synonyms of Prothysana terminalis in 2001, but excluded Prothysana felderi from this synonymy, retaining it as a separate species.^[2] Kitching et al. 2018 places the genus in family Apatelodidae.^[1]

Biology

Recorded food plants for the two species of Prothysana (whose larvae cannot be distinguished from one another) include Philodendron, Heliconia, Welfia georgii, Chamaedora tepejilote, Piptocarpha poeppigiana, Pentaclethra macroloba, Stigmaphyllon lindinianum, Piper colonense, Piper hispidum, Piper auretum, Piper peltata, Neea psychotroides, Lycianthes synanthera, Heliocarpus appendiculatus, Miriocarpa longipes and Aegifila falcata.