Lymantriidae
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 Caterpillar of Calliteara pudibunda
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About 350, see text. |
Lymantriidae is a family of moths with about 350 known genera and 2700 known species found all over the world, in every continent except Antarctica. They are particularly concentrated in tropical Africa, India, Southeast Asia and South America; one estimate lists 258 species in Madagascar alone (Schaefer, 1989). Those nearby islands that do not host Lymantriids include New Zealand, the Antilles, Hawaii, and New Caledonia (Schaefer , 1989)
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[edit] 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). 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). 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. In others, the eggs are covered by a froth that soon hardens, or are camouflaged by material the feamle 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.
"Lymantria" means destroyer, and several species are important defoliators of forest trees, including the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar, the douglas-fir tussock moth Orgyia pseudostugata, and the nun moth Lymantria monacha. 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).
[edit] Photo gallery
 White-marked tussock moth |
[edit] Species
Species include: LYMANTRIINI
- Brown-tail (Euproctis chrysorrhoea)
- Yellow-tail (Euproctis similis)
- Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar)
- Nun Moth (Lymantria monacha)
ORGYIINI
- Dasychira plagiata (Wlk.)
- Gynaephora groenlandica
- Rusty tussock moth (Orgyia antiqua)
- Western tussock moth (Orgyia vetusta)
- White-marked tussock moth (Orgyia leucostigma
- Douglas-fir tussock moth (Orgyia pseudostugata)
LEUCOMINI
- Satin moth (Leucoma salicis (L.))
- Eloria noyesi on coca
- Painted Apple Moth (Teia anartoides)
[edit] References
- Chinery, Michael [1986] (1991). Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe.
- Schaefer, Paul (March 1989). "Diversity in form, function, behavior, and ecology". Proceedings, Lymantriidae: a comparison of features of New and Old World tussock moths, 1–19, Broomall, PA: USDA Forest Service. Retrieved on 2006-05-22.
- Skinner, Bernard (1984). Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles.
- Holloway, J.D. 2006. THE MOTHS OF BORNEO, PART 5: FAMILY LYMANTRIIDAE. Moths of Borneo Accessed Aug. 13, 2006.
- Scoble, MJ [1992] (1995). The Lepidoptera: Form, function and diversity. Oxford University Press.
