Melnea is a gelechioid moth genus usually placed in the cosmet moth family (Cosmopterigidae); its exact relationships are not yet resolved however. Only a single species is known, Melnea armigera. It ranges widely in insular Melanesia and southern Polynesia (Nuku Hiva, Tahiti, Palau, Fiji and the Solomons).Clarke, J. F. Gates. 1986. "Pyralidae and Microlepidoptera of the Marquesas Archipelago." Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 1–485. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.416 Furthermore it had been recorded from the Mauritius, Seychelles and Réunion.Bippus, M., 2021. Eine neue Chrysopeleiinae-Art von den Maskarenischen Inseln (Lepidoptera, Cosmopterigidae). - Atalanta 52 (1/2): 162-164, ISSN 0171-0079 Its distribution is the result of accidental introductions by human travellers but its hostplant remains unknown.
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