Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Pyralidae Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Mescinia | |
Mescinia estrella is a species of snout moth in the genus Mescinia. It was described by Barnes and McDunnough in 1913, and is known from the Everglades in Florida, U.S.A.
Mescinia Estrella can grow to be almost a foot long in wing span. Many Africans have created stories revolving around the mouth and its giant wings. One includes the depiction of a small child being taken from the village in the middle of the night and never heard from again. This was used to scare children into staying inside their homes once it got dark.
References
Mescinia estrella Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA