Pronunciation
boe-mol'oe-kuh
(1), i.e., first and last "o's" long, middle one short, accent on second syllable. Whew! - [PC]
"boh-MAWL-oh-kuh"
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
All
Bomolocha species were moved to
Hypena page on 4 March 2006, as per classification at
All-LepsExplanation of Names
Author of
Bomolocha is Hubner.
The Century Dictionary (1) gives the origin of the name
Bomolochus as New Latin, from a Greek word
Bomolokos, a beggar or low jester, buffoon, probably one who waited about the altars to beg or steal some fo the meat offered thereon. Presumably the pattern of these moths resembles a jester's garb. (
Wow! That was obscure.)
Author of Hypena is Schrank, 1802.
Range
represented coast to coast in US and Canada (see
western distribution listed under
Hypena at CBIF)
Baltimore Bomolocha, B. baltimoralis and Dimorphic Bomolocha, B. bijugalis appear to be the most common in North Carolina, and probably the southeast.
Remarks
In 1989, Robert W. Poole lumped
Bomolocha and several other genera together under the single genus,
Hypena. However, in 1996, Herbert Beck revalidated
Bomolocha as a distinct genus, splitting it from
Hypena.
Many of the species listed under
Hypena at
nearctica.com,
CBIF, and
FUNET were formerly considered species of
Bomolocha, and are now again treated as
Bomolocha - at least by Beck and whoever agrees with him.
Regarding classification, CBIF authors Troubridge and Lafontaine list only the genus
Hypena, and state in their
Introduction that "We loosely follow Kitching and Rawlins, 1999..." so I assume that either K & R disagree with Beck (and T & L follow K & R), or K & R agree with Beck (and T & L disagree with both K & R and Beck) - I don't know which is the case. - [RM]
Print References
Covell, pp. 317-319, plate 40
(2)
Holland, p. 286, plate XLII
(3)
The Century Dictionary--etymology of name, pronunciation
(1) Internet References
pinned adult images of 9 traditional
Bomolocha species (CBIF)
North Carolina State University Entomology Collection lists, with number pinned, then common name: abalienalis (4)--White-Lined, baltimoralis (15)--Baltimore, bijugalis (16)--Dimorphic, madefactalis (3)--Gray-edged, manalis (9)--Flowing Line
