Kingdom Animalia Family Cimeliidae Rank Genus | Class Insecta Phylum Arthropoda Order Butterflies and moths | |
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Similar Axia margarita, Butterflies and moths, Alucitoidea, Callidulidae, Gracillarioidea | ||
Axia, or the "Gold Moths", is a genus of moths whose precise relationships within the Macrolepidoptera[2] are currently uncertain, but they currently represent a superfamily whose nearest relatives include the butterflies, Calliduloidea, Drepanoidea, Geometroidea, Bombycoidea, Mimallonoidea and Lasiocampoidea, and the Noctuoidea. Uniquely, they have a pair of pocket-like organs on the seventh abdominal spiracle of the adult moth which are possibly sound receptive organs . They are quite large and brightly coloured moths that occur only in Southern Europe and feed on species of Euphorbia. Sometimes they are attracted to light .
One species, Epicimelia theresiae, was formerly included in this genus, but has since been recognized as distinct; it is the only other described species in the family.