Zygaenoidea

Dalcera abrasa, copyright Bernard Dupont.

Belongs within: Apoditrysia.
Contains: Limacodidae, Lacturidae, Procris, Zygaena.

The Zygaenoidea are a group of moths with slug-like larvae that often feed exposed. The proboscis is well developed in members of the Zygaenidae but reduced or absent in other families. Adult Zygaenidae, known as burnets or foresters, often fly and feed on flowers during the day. Larvae of the family Epipyropidae are ectoparasites on fulgoroid planthoppers (Nielsen & Common 1991).

Characters (from Nielsen & Common 1991): Small to large; ocelli and chaetosemata present or absent; M often present in cell, CuP usually present, hind wing with Sc+R₁ not approximate to Rs beyond cell. Larva stout, sluggish, feeding exposed or ectoparasitic on planthoppers or in ant nests. Pupa relatively broad and short, with dorsal spines, and spiracles of first abdominal segment visible (except in Epipyropidae); protruded at ecdysis.

<==Zygaenoidea GE05
    |--+--+--Limacodidae KP19
    |  |  `--Dalcera [Dalceridae, Dalcerinae] KP19
    |  |       |--D. abrasa KP19
    |  |       |--D. ampela D01
    |  |       `--D. necoda Druce 1901 D01
    |  `--Megalopygidae [Lagoidae] KP19
    |       |--Lagoa crispata P27
    |       |--Trosia KP19
    |       `--Megalopyge KP19
    |            |--M. crispata KP19
    |            `--M. lanata (Cramer 1780) [incl. Rhabdosia tharops (Stoll 1781)] NO08
    `--+--Lacturidae KP19
       `--Zygaenidae NC91
            |  i. s.: Levuana iridescens H91
            |         Heteropan dolens H91
            |         Pollanisus NC91
            |           |--P. iridescens P27
            |           |--P. nielseni ZS10
            |           |--P. trimaculus C91
            |           `--P. viridipulverulenta NC91
            |         Hystiaea DS73
            |           |--H. amazonica DS73
            |           `--H. proserpina DS73
            |         Erasmia GE05
            |           |--E. aliris DS73
            |           |--E. pulchella DS73
            |           `--E. sanguiflua DS73
            |         Rjabovia Efetov & Tarmann 1995 F05
            |           `--*R. horni (Alberti 1937) [=Procris horni] F05
            |         Solaniterna Efetov 2004 F05
            |           `--*S. subsolana (Staudinger 1862) [=Ino subsolana] F05
            |         Tremewania Efetov & Tarmann 1999 F05
            |           `--*T. notata (Zeller 1847) [=Atychia notata] F05
            |         Wiegelia Efetov & Tarman 1995 F05
            |           `--*W. amasina (Herrich-Schäffer 1851) [=Procris amasina] F05
            |         Thyrassia inconcinna NC91
            |         Hestiochora Meyrick 1886 M86
            |           |--H. erythrota Meyrick 1886 M86
            |           |--H. rufiventris [=Procris rufiventris] M86
            |           |--H. tricolor [=Procris tricolor] M86
            |           `--H. xanthocoma Meyrick 1886 M86
            |         Burlacena aegerioides NC91
            |         Onceropyga NC91
            |         Brachartona catoxantha Z93
            |         Homophylotis C70
            |         Setiodes bahamensis Dyar 1899 H01
            |         Cacosoma Felder in Felder & Rogenhofer 1874 E00
            |         Himantopterus [Himantopteridae, Thymaridae] RD77
            |--Charideinae NC91
            |--Procris NC91
            |--Zygaena KP19
            |--Phaudinae RD77
            `--Chalcosiinae [Chalcosiidae] DS73
                 |--Clelea sapphirina WM66
                 |--Phalanna polymena WM66
                 |--Elcysma westwoodii RD77, KVV96
                 |--Cadphises DS73
                 |    |--C. maculata DS73
                 |    `--C. moorei DS73
                 `--Histia rhodope RD77, F92
                      |--H. r. rhodope F92
                      `--H. r. nigrinus F92

Zygaenoidea incertae sedis:
  Heterogynis [Heterogynidae] RD77
  Chrysopolomidae NC91
  Somabrachyidae NC91
  Cyclotorna NC91 [Cyclotornidae GE05]
    |--C. egena NC91
    `--C. monocentra NC91
  Epipyropidae GE05
    |--Epipomponia nawai KP19
    |--Heteropsyche NC91
    |    |--H. melanochroma NC91
    |    `--H. schawerdae A71
    `--Fulgoraecia A71
         |--F. cerolestes A71
         `--F. eurybrachydis A71

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[A71] Askew, R. R. 1971. Parasitic Insects. Heinemann Educational Books: London.

[C70] Common, I. F. B. 1970. Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers pp. 765–866. Melbourne University Press.

[C91] CSIRO. 1991. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 1. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[DS73] Dickens, M., & E. Storey. 1973. The World of Moths. Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.: New York.

[D01] Druce, H. 1901. Descriptions of some new species of Lepidoptera from east Africa and tropical America. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 7, 7: 432–444.

[E00] Engel, M. S. 2000. Classification of the bee tribe Augochlorini (Hymenoptera: Halictidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 250: 1–89.

[F92] Fan Z. 1992. Key to the Common Flies of China 2^nd ed. Science Press: Beijing.

[F05] Fernández, J. 2005. Noticia de nuevos táxones para la ciencia en el ámbito Íbero-Balear y Macaronésico. Nuevos táxones animales descritos en la península Ibérica y Macaronesia desde 1994 (IX). Graellsia 61 (2): 261–282.

[GE05] Grimaldi, D., & M. S. Engel. 2005. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press: New York.

[H01] Hampson, G. F. 1901. The Lepidoptera-Phalaenae of the Bahamas. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 7, 7: 246–261.

[H91] Howarth, F. G. 1991. Environmental impacts of classical biological control. Annual Review of Entomology 36: 485–509.

[KP19] Kawahara, A. Y., D. Plotkin, M. Espeland, K. Meusemann, E. F. A. Toussaint, A. Donath, F. Gimnich, P. B. Frandsen, A. Zwick, M. dos Reis, J. R. Barber, R. S. Peters, S. Liu, X. Zhou, C. Mayer, L. Podsiadlowski, C. Storer, J. E. Yack, B. Misof & J. W. Breinholt. 2019. Phylogenomics reveals the evolutionary timing and pattern of butterflies and moths. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 116 (45): 22657–22663.

[KVV96] Kroon, A., R. L. Voenendaal & A. Veerman. 1996. Does the spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch (Tetranychidae) respond to photoperiod in a quantitative manner? In: Mitchell, R., D. J. Horn, G. R. Needham & W. C. Welbourn (eds) Acarology IX vol. 1. Proceedings pp. 5–7. Ohio Biological Survey: Columbus (Ohio).

[M86] Meyrick, E. 1886. Revision of Australian Lepidoptera. I. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 1 (3): 687–802.

[NO08] Nässig, W. A., & R. G. Oberprieler. 2008. An annotated catalogue of the genera of Eupterotidae (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Bombycoidea). Senckenbergiana Biologica 88 (1): 53–80.

[NC91] Nielsen, E. S., & I. F. B. Common. 1991. Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 2 pp. 817–915. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[P27] Philpott, A. 1927. The maxillae in the Lepidoptera. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 57: 721–746.

[RD77] Richards, O. W., & R. G. Davies. 1977. Imms' General Textbook of Entomology 10^th ed. vol. 2. Classification and Biology. Chapman and Hall: London.

[WM66] Wallace, A. R., & F. Moore. 1866. List of lepidopterous insects collected at Takow, Formosa, by Mr. R. Swinhoe. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 355–365.

[ZS10] Zborowski, P., & R. Storey. 2010. A Field Guide to Insects in Australia 3^rd ed. Reed New Holland: Sydney.

[Z93] Zimmerman, E. C. 1993. Australian Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) vol. 3. Nanophyidae, Rhynchophoridae, Erirhinidae, Curculionidae: Amycterinae, literature consulted. CSIRO Australia.

Last updated: 24 April 2022.

Limacodidae

Caterpillar of mottled cup moth Doratifera vulnerans, photographed by Chris Greenaway.

Belongs within: Zygaenoidea.

The Limacodidae are a widespread family of moths with reduced proboscids, with most species found in the tropics. Larvae of a number of species bear toxic needle-like setae, giving them the name of 'nettle caterpillars' (Grimaldi & Engel 2005). Eggs are scale-like and laid in overlapping batches or singly (Nielsen & Common 1991). Larvae of the genus Doratifera are known in Australia as significant defoliators as trees such as Eucalyptus or stonefruit (Nielsen & Common 1991).

Characters (from Nielsen & Common 1991): Small to medium sized; head with rather smooth vestiture of piliform or lamellar scales; ocelli and chaetosemata absent; antenna bipectinate in male, at least in basal half, dentate or filiform in female; proboscis and maxillary palps minute or absent; labial palps short, 2- or 3-segmented; epiphysis absent; spurs 0-2-2 or 0-2-4, rarely absent; femora and tibiae often woolly; fore wing broad triangular, apex rounded, chorda absent, M present in cell, R₃, R₄ and R₅ stalked, CuP present; hind wing with three frenular bristles in female, M present in cell, Sc+R₁ fused with Rs near base or Sc is connected to Rs by R₁, CuP present; female abdomen with lateral projections from segment 8. Eggs scale-like, in overlapping batches or singly. Larva heteromorphic; 1st instar larva broad and flattened, with four spines on each segment; later instar larvae slug-like, with head retracted, antennae long, thoracic legs reduced, prolegs absent, sometimes with ventral suckers on abdominal segments 1-7, setae often modified, with stinging hairs or reduced; feed exposed. Pupa in oval or pyriform cocoon, with circular, lid-like opening at one end.

<==Limacodidae [Cochlidiidae, Eucleidae, Heterogenidae]
    |--Adoneta spinuloides P27
    |--Prolimacodes scapha P27
    |--Lithacodes fasciola P27
    |--Cochlidion biguttata P27
    |--Pseudanapaea denotata NC91, ZS10
    |--Mecytha fasciata NC91
    |--Scopelodes NC91
    |--Altha rufipuncta Hampson 1901 H01
    |--Thosea bhaga Swinhoe 1901 S01
    |--Contheyla chara Swinhoe 1901 S01
    |--Heuretes picticornis [incl. Monoleuca albicollis] E96
    |--Phobetron E96
    |--Talima E96
    |--Demonarosa rufotessellata KP19
    |--Heterogenea RD77
    |--Empretia stimulea RD77
    |--Monema flavescens RD77, A71
    |--Apoda Haworth 1809 [=Cochlidium Hübner 1822, Limacodes Berthold in Latreille 1827] P08
    |    `--*A. limacodes (Hufnagel 1766) [=*Cochlidium limacodes, *Limacodes limacodes] P08
    |--Euprosterna Dyar 1905 [incl. Epiclea Dyar 1905] E96
    |    `--E. elaea (Druce 1887) [=Perola elaea, *Epiclea elaea; incl. Euprosterna elaeasa Dyar 1905] E96
    |--Susica P27
    |    |--S. humeralis P27
    |    `--S. sinensis (Walker 1856) [=Tadema sinensis] S01
    |--Baria Karsch 1896 O08
    |    |--*B. elsa (Druce 1888) [=Natada elsa] O08
    |    `--B. transversata Karsch 1899 O08
    |--Miresa S01
    |    |--M. scotopipla S01
    |    `--M. sola Swinhoe 1901 S01
    |--Narosa S01
    |    |--N. concinna Swinhoe 1901 S01
    |    `--N. conspersa S01
    |--Monoleuca E96
    |    |--M. longifascia Epstein 1996 E96
    |    |--M. occidentalis E96
    |    `--M. semifascia P27
    |--Parasa MHG04
    |    |--P. consocia F92
    |    |--P. lepida MHG04
    |    `--P. sinica F92
    |--Comana NC91
    |    |--C. corones C91
    |    |--C. fasciata B88
    |    `--C. miltocosma C70
    |--Doratifera NC91
    |    |--D. casta N70
    |    |--D. oxleyi NC91
    |    `--D. vulnerans NC91 [=D. longerans (l. c.) B88]
    |--Euclea GE05
    |    |--E. byrne E96
    |    |--E. indetermina RD77
    |    |--E. paenulata P27
    |    `--E. punctata Druce 1901 D01
    |--Perola D00
    |    |--P. dertosa Druce 1900 D00
    |    |--P. repetita Druce 1900 D00
    |    |--P. salta Druce 1900 D00
    |    |--P. sardites Druce 1900 D00
    |    `--P. vafera Druce 1900 D00
    `--Semyra D00
         |--S. marisa Druce 1900 D00
         `--S. phara Druce 1900 D00

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[A71] Askew, R. R. 1971. Parasitic Insects. Heinemann Educational Books: London.

[B88] Bouček, Z. 1988. Australasian Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera): A biosystematic revision of genera of fourteen families, with a reclassification of species. CAB International: Wallingford (UK).

[C70] CSIRO. 1970. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers. Melbourne University Press.

[C91] CSIRO. 1991. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 1. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[D00] Druce, H. 1900. Descriptions of some new genera and species of Heterocera from tropical South America. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 7, 5: 507–527.

[D01] Druce, H. 1901. Descriptions of some new species of Lepidoptera from east Africa and tropical America. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 7, 7: 432–444.

[E96] Epstein, M. E. 1996. A new species and generic placement for the misidentified type species of Epiclea Dyar, 1905 (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 98 (4): 812–817.

[F92] Fan Z. 1992. Key to the Common Flies of China 2^nd ed. Science Press: Beijing.

[GE05] Grimaldi, D., & M. S. Engel. 2005. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press: New York.

[H01] Hampson, G. F. 1901. The Lepidoptera-Phalaenae of the Bahamas. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 7, 7: 246–261.

[KP19] Kawahara, A. Y., D. Plotkin, M. Espeland, K. Meusemann, E. F. A. Toussaint, A. Donath, F. Gimnich, P. B. Frandsen, A. Zwick, M. dos Reis, J. R. Barber, R. S. Peters, S. Liu, X. Zhou, C. Mayer, L. Podsiadlowski, C. Storer, J. E. Yack, B. Misof & J. W. Breinholt. 2019. Phylogenomics reveals the evolutionary timing and pattern of butterflies and moths. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 116 (45): 22657–22663.

[MHG04] Maynard, G. V., J. G. Hamilton & J. F. Grimshaw. 2004. Quarantine—phytosanitary, sanitary and incursion management: an Australian entomological perspective. Australian Journal of Entomology 43 (3): 318–328.

[NC91] Nielsen, E. S., & I. F. B. Common. 1991. Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 2 pp. 817–915. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[N70] Norris, K. R. 1970. General biology. In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers pp. 107–140. Melbourne University Press.

[O08] Özdikmen, H. 2008. Nomenclatural changes for some preoccupied harvestman genus group names (Arachnida: Opiliones). Turkish Journal of Arachnology 1 (1): 37–43.

[P08] Paclt, J. 2008. On the triple usage of the family name Apodidae in zoology (Aves; Crustacea; Insecta). Senckenbergiana Biologica 88 (1): 49–52.

[P27] Philpott, A. 1927. The maxillae in the Lepidoptera. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 57: 721–746.

[RD77] Richards, O. W., & R. G. Davies. 1977. Imms' General Textbook of Entomology 10^th ed. vol. 2. Classification and Biology. Chapman and Hall: London.

[S01] Swinhoe, C. 1901. New genera and species of eastern and Australian moths. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 7, 7: 463–473.

[ZS10] Zborowski, P., & R. Storey. 2010. A Field Guide to Insects in Australia 3^rd ed. Reed New Holland: Sydney.

Last updated: 21 February 2021.