Zygaenidae Latreille, 1909
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EOL Text
Pupa life history description:
Pupa either escapes from the cocoon prior to adult emergence or protrudes from it (Scoble 1992: 266).
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| Rights holder/Author | Leptree.net, Susan Weller, LepTree |
| Source | http://www.leptree.net/lep_taxon_page?id=1578&scientificName=Zygaenidae |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
| Specimen Records: | 1,355 | Public Records: | 151 |
| Specimens with Sequences: | 1,128 | Public Species: | 30 |
| Specimens with Barcodes: | 1,021 | Public BINs: | 37 |
| Species: | 260 | ||
| Species With Barcodes: | 204 | ||
Collection Sites: world map showing specimen collection locations for Zygaenidae
Larva showing warning colours, flattening
The Zygaenidae moths are a family of Lepidoptera. The majority of zygaenids are tropical, but they are nevertheless quite well represented in temperate regions. There are about 1000 species. Various species are commonly known as Burnet or Forester moths, often qualified by the number of spots, although other families also have 'foresters'. They are also sometimes called Smoky moths.
All 43 species of Australian zygaenids are commonly known as foresters and belong to the tribe Artonini of the subfamily Procridinae. The only non-endemic species in Australia is Palmartona catoxantha, a Southeast Asian pest species which is believed to be already present in Australia or likely to arrive soon[1]
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Description
Zygaenid moths are typically day-flying with a slow fluttering flight, and with rather clubbed antennae. They generally have a metallic sheen and often prominent spots of red or yellow. The bright colours are a warning to predators that the moths are distasteful - they contain hydrogen cyanide (HCN) throughout all stages of their life-cycle. Unlike most insects with such toxins, they obtain glucosides from feeding on Birds-foot Trefoil (Lotus) so that they, themselves can use HCN as a defense.[2] However, they are capable of making HCN themselves, and when in an environment poor in cyanide-producing plants, synthesize it themselves, [1]. They are known to have mimicry complexes based on these toxins.[3]
Larvae are stout and may be flattened. A fleshy extension of the thorax covers the head. Most feed on herbaceous plants, but there are some tree-feeders. Larvae in two subfamilies, Chalcosiinae and Zygaeninae, have cavities in which they store the cyanide, and can excrete it as defensive droplets.[4]
Selected taxa
Satin-green Forester, Pollanisus viridipulverulentus, found in most of Australia (including temperate Tasmania).
Genera incertae sedis include:
Pest species include:
- Almond-tree leaf skeletonizer moth (Aglaope infausta)
- Vine bud moth (Theresimima ampellophaga)
- Grapeleaf Skeletonizer (Harrisina americana)
10 Species are found in the UK:
- Scarce Forester (Adscita globulariae)
- Cistus Forester (Adscita geryon)
- Forester (Adscita statices)
- Scotch Burnet (Zygaena exulans)
- Slender Scotch Burnet (Zygaena loti)
- New Forest Burnet (Zygaena viciae)
- Six-spot Burnet (Zygaena filipendulae)
- Five-spot Burnet (Zygaena trifolii)
- Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet (Zygaena lonicerae)
- Transparent Burnet (Zygaena purpuralis)
African species include:
- Fire Grid Burnet (Arniocera erythopyga)
Extinct species include:
- Neurosymploca? oligocenica Fernández-Rubio & Nel, 2000 (Lower Stampian, Céreste, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France)
See also
References
- ^ Tarmann, G.M. "Zygaenid moths of Australia. A revision of the Australian Zygaenidae".
- ^ The Lepidoptera: Form, function and diversity. Oxford Univ. Press.
- ^ Naumann, C.M., Tarmann, G.M. & Tremewan, W.G. (1999). The Western Palaearctic Zygaenidae. Apollo Books.
- ^ Niehuis, O., Yen, S.H., Naumann, C.M. & Misof, B. (2006). "Higher phylogeny of zygaenid moths (Insecta : Lepidoptera) inferred from nuclear and mitochondrial sequence data and the evolution of larval cuticular cavities for chemical defence." Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39(3): 812-829.
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| Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zygaenidae&oldid=530654198 |
Diversity description:
The adults of this family include brightly colored, often diurnal species that are involved in mimicry rings. The mimicry is likely Mullerian as many species are cyanogenic (YS ref, Scoble 1992, Tremewan 1988). Larvae are often aposematic too. Approximately 800 species in XX genera occur in all zoogeographic regions except New Zealand (Alberti 1954, Shen-Horn et al. 200x). Most species occur in tropical regions, but are a component of the Palearctic fauna(Scoble 1992).
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| Rights holder/Author | Leptree.net, Susan Weller, LepTree |
| Source | http://www.leptree.net/lep_taxon_page?id=1578&scientificName=Zygaenidae |
Geographic Range:
Nearctic, Palearctic, Oriental, Ethiopian, Neotropical, Australian
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| Rights holder/Author | Leptree.net, Susan Weller, LepTree |
| Source | http://www.leptree.net/lep_taxon_page?id=1578&scientificName=Zygaenidae |
Texture:
smooth
Orientation:
flat
Egg mass pattern:
Eggs are laid in rows of a single layer or multiple layers (Scoble 1992, Tremewan, 1985).
Description of egg morphology:
Egg shape is ovoid. The micropyle is located at one end of the horizontal axis (Scoble 1992).
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| Rights holder/Author | Leptree.net, Susan Weller, LepTree |
| Source | http://www.leptree.net/lep_taxon_page?id=1578&scientificName=Zygaenidae |
Pupa type:
adecticous, obtect
Pupa description:
Spines are present on the abdominal terga (Scoble 1992).
Pupal tergal spines:
present
Cocoon:
present
Cocoon description:
The cocoon texture is parchment-like but strong. The shape is elongate.
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Leptree.net, Susan Weller, LepTree |
| Source | http://www.leptree.net/lep_taxon_page?id=1578&scientificName=Zygaenidae |
Reproductive system:
Ditrysian
Oviscapt (ovipositor):
non-piercing
Female genitalia description:
Oviscapt is typically short. In some Zygaeninae, additional accessory glands (= Peterson's glands) are present (Scoble 1992, Naumann, 1988).
Male coremata:
absent
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Leptree.net, Susan Weller, LepTree |
| Source | http://www.leptree.net/lep_taxon_page?id=1578&scientificName=Zygaenidae |