| Lymantriidae | ||||||||||||||||||
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 Caterpillar of the pale tussock moth,
Calliteara pudibunda Coin is c. 2 cm across. |
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Diversity | ||||||||||||||||||
| About 350 genera, 2,500-2,700+ species |
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| Tribes | ||||||||||||||||||
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Lymantriini |
Lymantriidae or Liparidae is a family of moths with about 350 known genera and over 2,500 known species found all over the world, in every continent except Antarctica. 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. The Ditrysia are a natural group or clade of Insects in the Lepidopteran order containing both butterflies and Moths Macrolepidoptera is a group within the Insect order Lepidoptera. Noctuoidea is the Superfamily of noctuid ( Latin "night owl" or "owlet" Moths and has the largest number of Species Sir George Francis Hampson 10th Baronet ( January 14 1860 - October 15 1936) was a British Entomologist. Year 1893 ( MDCCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common 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 In Biology, a tribe &mdashor infrafamily&mdashis a Taxonomic rank between family and Genus. In Biological classification, family ( Latin A moth is an Insect closely related to the Butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. They are particularly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, India, Southeast Asia and South America; one estimate lists 258 species in Madagascar alone (Schaefer, 1989). Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern Apart from oceanic islands, notable places that do not host Lymantriids include New Zealand, the Antilles, and New Caledonia (Schaefer , 1989). New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Antilles (the same in French; Antillas in Spanish; Antillen in Dutch) refers to the islands forming the greater part of the For the former North American fur-trading district see New Caledonia (Canada, and for the Scottish colony in Panama see Darien scheme.
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Description
Adult moths of this family do not feed. They usually have muted colours (browns and greys), although some are white, and tend to be very hairy. Some females are flightless, and some have reduced wings. Usually the females have a large tuft at the end of the abdomen. The males, at least, have tympanal organs (Scoble, 1995). A Tympanal organ is a hearing organ in Insects, consisting of a membrane ( tympanum) stretched across a frame backed by an air sac They are mostly nocturnal, but Schaefer (1989) lists 20 confirmed diurnal species and 20 more likely diurnal species (based on reduced eye size).
The larvae are also hairy, often with hairs packed in tufts, and in many species the hairs break off very easily and are extremely irritating to the skin (especially members of the genus Euproctis; Schaefer, 1989). A larva ( Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of Animal with indirect development, undergoing Metamorphosis (for example This highly effective defence serves the moth throughout its life cycle as the hairs are incorporated into the cocoon, from where they are collected and stored by the emerging adult female at the tip of the abdomen and used to camouflage and protect the eggs as they are laid. A pupa ( Latin pupa for doll pl pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some Insects undergoing transformation In Vertebrates such as Mammals the abdomen (belly constitutes the part of the body between the Thorax (chest and Pelvis. In most Birds and Reptiles an egg ( Latin ovum) is the Zygote, resulting from Fertilization of the Ovum. In others, the eggs are covered by a froth that soon hardens, or are camouflaged by material the female collects and sticks to them (Schaefer, 1989). In the larvae of some species, hairs are gathered in dense tufts along the back and this gives them the common name of tussocks or tussock moths.
Lymantria means "defiler", and several species are important defoliators of forest trees, including the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar, the douglas-fir tussock moth Orgyia pseudotsugata, and the nun moth Lymantria monacha. The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, is a moth in the family Lymantriidae of Eurasian origin They tend to have broader host plant ranges than most Lepidoptera. Most feed on trees and shrubs, but some are known from vines, herbs, grasses and lichens (Schaefer, 1989).
Systematics
Unusually, this family is not divided into subfamilies but only into tribes. In Biological classification, family ( Latin In Biology, a tribe &mdashor infrafamily&mdashis a Taxonomic rank between family and Genus. This owes to the fact that the diversity and phylogeny of tropical lymantriids is not well known (Ferguson 1978, Holloway 2006).
Genera incertae sedis - that is, not assigned to a tribe - include:
- Birnara
- Cispia
- Locharna
- Parapellucens
- Parvaroa
- Pseudarctia
- Sitvia
- Tamsita
Notable species and genera
- Brown-tail, Euproctis chrysorrhoea
- Yellow-tail, Euproctis similis
- Gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar
- Nun Moth, Lymantria monacha
- Pale tussock moth, Calliteara pudibunda
- Pine tussock moth, Dasychira plagiata
- Arctic woollybear moth, Gynaephora groenlandica
- Rusty tussock moth or Vapourer, Orgyia antiqua
- Western tussock moth, Orgyia vetusta
- White-marked tussock moth, Orgyia leucostigma
- Douglas-fir tussock moth, Orgyia pseudostugata
- Satin moth, Leucoma salicis
- Coca moth, Eloria noyesi
- Painted apple moth, Teia anartoides
- Rahona
See also list of lymantriid genera
References
- Chinery, Michael (1991): Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe (2nd edition). The Brown-tail ( Euproctis chrysorrhoea) is a Moth of the family Lymantriidae. The Yellow-tail ( Euproctis similis) is a Moth of the family Lymantriidae. The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, is a moth in the family Lymantriidae of Eurasian origin The Black Arches or Nun Moth, Lymantria monacha is a small Palaearctic Moth. The Rusty Tussock Moth or Vapourer, Orgyia antiqua, is a Moth in the family Lymantriidae that is native to Europe, but The western tussock moth, Orgyia vetusta, formerly Hemerocampa vetusta, is a Moth found in the Pacific States and British Columbia Orgyia leucostigma, the White-marked tussock moth, is a moth in the family Lymantriidae. Eloria noyesi is a beige Moth whose Larva feasts on Coca plants Painted Apple Moth ( Teia anartoides) is a moth native to Australia Lymantriidae or Liparidae is a family of Moths with about 350 known genera and over 2500 known Species found all over the world in every The large Moth family Lymantriidae contains the following genera A B C D E F G H
- Ferguson, D. C. (1978): Noctuoidea, Lymantriidae. In: The Moths of America North of Mexico (vol. 22-2). London: E. W. Classey.
- Holloway, J. D. (2006): Moths of Borneo The Moths of Borneo, part 5: Family Lymantriidae. Accessed Aug. 13, 2006.
- Schaefer, Paul (1989): Diversity in form, function, behavior, and ecology, In: USDA Forest Service (ed. ): Proceedings, Lymantriidae: a comparison of features of New and Old World tussock moths: 1-19. Broomall, PA
- Scoble, M. J. (1992): The Lepidoptera: Form, function and diversity (2nd ed. ). Oxford University Press.
- Skinner, Bernard (1984): Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles.
- Schintlmeister, Alexander (2004): The Taxonomy of the genus Lymantria Hubner, [1819] (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae).
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