Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Epermeniidae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Suborder: Glossata
Infraorder: Heteroneura
(unranked) Ditrysia
Superfamily: Epermenioidea
Minet, 1983
Family: Epermeniidae
Spuler, 1910
Diversity
About 83 species
Genera
  • Epermenia Hübner, 1825
    • =Acanthedra Meyrick, 1917
    • =Calotripis Hübner, 1825
    • =Chauliodus Treitschke, 1833
    • =Epermeniola Gaedike, 1968
    • =Lophonotus Stephens, 1829
    • =Tichotripis Hübner, 1825
    • =Epimarptis Meyrick, 1914
  • Paraepermenia Gaedike, 1968
  • Sinicaepermenia Heppner, 1990
  • Agiton Turner, 1926
  • Cataplectica Walsingham, 1894
    • =Heydenia Hofmann, 1868
  • Phaulernis Meyrick, 1895
  • Lasiostega Meyrick, 1932
  • Notodryas Meyrick, 1897
  • Picrodoxa Meyrick, 1923
  • Temeluchella Fletcher, 1940
    • =Temelucha Meyrick, 1909
  • Ochromolopis Hübner, 1825
  • Parochromolopis Gaedike, 1977
  • Gnathifera Gaedike, 1978
  • Thambotricha Meyrick, 1922

Epermeniidae or "fringe-tufted moths" is a family of insects in the lepidopteran order with about 14 genera. Arthropods are Animals belonging to the Phylum Arthropoda (from Greek ἄρθρον arthron, " Joint " Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Lepidoptera is an order of Insect that includes Moths and butterflies. Glossata is the Suborder of the Insect order Lepidoptera that includes all the Superfamilies of moths and butterflies that have a coilable Heteroneura is a natural group (or Clade) in the Insect order Lepidoptera that comprises over 99% of all butterflies and The Ditrysia are a natural group or clade of Insects in the Lepidopteran order containing both butterflies and Moths This is a list of the Diversity of the Lepidoptera showing the estimated number of genera and species described for each superfamily and where available family A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Lepidoptera is an order of Insect that includes Moths and butterflies. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic Previously they have been divided in two subfamilies Epermeniinae and Ochromolopinae (e. g. Common, 1990: 321) but this is no longer maintained since the last group is probably hierarchically nested within the first (Dugdale et al. , 1999). They are presently placed in their own superfamily but have previously been placed among the Yponomeutoidea or Copromorphoidea with which some features are shared. Yponomeutoidea is the Superfamily of Ermine Moths and Relatives Familiae Acrolepiidae Bedelliidae Copromorphoidea, the "fruitworm moths" is a Superfamily of Insects in the Lepidopteran order. Their systematic placement among the apoditrysian [1]] group "Obtectomera" (having pupal segments I-IV immobile) is however uncertain. The Ditrysia are a natural group or clade of Insects in the Lepidopteran order containing both butterflies and Moths A pupa ( Latin pupa for doll pl pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some Insects undergoing transformation They show some morphological similarities to the "plume moths" (Alucitoidea and Pterophoroidea), for example the wing fringe has similar groups of scales (Dugdale et al. The term morphology in Biology refers to the outward appearance ( Shape, Structure, Colour, Pattern) of an Organism Aluctoidea is the Superfamily of many-plumed moths Most of the roughly 160 described Species are in the family Alucitidae; the much smaller The Pterophoridae or plume- Moths are a family of Lepidoptera with unusually modified wings In most biological nomenclature a scale ( Greek lepid, Latin squama) is a small rigid plate that grows out of an Animal , 1999). There are also some similarities to Schreckensteinioidea, for example spiny legs and at least in some species an open-network cocoon. Schreckensteinioidea is a superfamily in the Insect order Lepidoptera containing a single family, Schreckensteiniidae The genus Thambotricha from New Zealand may be the sister group of all other extant members. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Cladistics is the hierarchical classification of Species based on evolutionary ancestry Extant is a term commonly used to refer to Taxa (such as Species, genera or families) that are still in existence (living The most important genera are Epermenia, Ochromolopis and Gnathifera. The group has been extensively revised and catalogued by Dr Reinhard Gaedike (e. g. Gaedike, 1977, 1979).

Contents

Identification

Epermeniidae are small narrow-winged moths, 7-20 mm. in wingspan, with conspicuous whorls of bristles on their legs, lacking spines on the abdomen unlike some similar moths. The smoothly scaled head bears no ocelli or "chaetosemata". An ocellus (plural ocelli) is a type of Photoreceptor organ in animals They can be most easily confused with Stathmopodinae (Oecophoridae), which unlike epermeniids have the tarsi of the forelegs and midlegs without the whorls of spines, and whose proboscis is scaled at the base (Robinson et al. The Oecophoridae are a family of Lepidoptera ( Moths. Many Oecophorids feed on dead plant material and play a useful part in nutrient recycling The arthropod leg is a form of jointed Appendage of Arthropods usually used for Walking. , 1994, for further details). The projecting scale tufts on the inner margin of the hindwing[2] is the easiest field character (Common, 1990).

Distribution

Epermeniidae occur worldwide in both Temperate and Tropical regions where especially in montane areas (Robinson et al. The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 Montane is a biogeographic term which refers to highland areas located below the Subalpine zone , 1994), but are sparsely known from the Afrotropics. See Tropical Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa for other aspects The Afrotropic is one of the earth's eight Ecozones It includes Gnathifera occurs from Australia to New Caledonia; Epermenia ranges from the Palaearctic to Indo-Australia and the Pacific islands (Holloway et al. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. For the former North American fur-trading district see New Caledonia (Canada, and for the Scottish colony in Panama see Darien scheme. The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight Ecozones dividing the Earth surface The Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20000 to 30000 Islands (the exact number has yet to be precisely determined , 2001).

Behaviour

Epermeniidae are nocturnal as adults and well-camouflaged. As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible Organism They rest parallel to the surface with their wings held over their back in a tent-like manner (Robinson et al. , 1994)[3].

Biology

The caterpillars[4] feed inside almost any plant parts (fruits, seeds, galls, leaves or flowers), sometimes in a mine[5]or sometimes exposed or under silk on the leaf surface[6]; unlike some Lepidoptera the pupa[7][8] is not extruded from the cocoon (Robinson et al. Caterpillars are the Larval form of a member of the order Lepidoptera (the Insect order comprising butterflies and Moths Lepidoptera is an order of Insect that includes Moths and butterflies. A pupa ( Latin pupa for doll pl pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some Insects undergoing transformation , 1994) and may be found in its fine open-network cocoon on the plant or amongst debris on the ground (Common, 1990).

Hostplants

Many species in Europe feed on "umbels" Apiaceae, and Epermenia chaerophyllella is a pest of cultivated species (Dugdale et al. An umbel is an Inflorescence which consists of a number of short Flower stalks (called pedicels) which are equal in length and spread from a common , 1999). Other species feed on the parasitic plant families Santalaceae (e. Santalaceae is a widely distributed family of Flowering plants which like other members of Santalales are partially parasitic on other plants g. the Australian "Quandong moth")[9] and Loranthaceae, or on Pinaceae, Pittosporaceae and Leguminosae[10]

References

Sources

External links

Provisional list of species (based on Lepindex)

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic