Drepanidae
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 Oak Hook-tip (Falcaria binaria)
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The Drepanidae are a family of moths with about 1000 species recorded worldwide. They are generally divided in three subfamilies, Drepaninae, Thyatirinae and Cyclidiinae (Minet and Scoble, 1999) which share the same type of hearing organ. Thyatirinae, previously often placed in their own family, bear a superficial resemblance to Noctuidae. Many species in this group have a distinctively hook-shaped apex to the forewing, leading to their common name of hook-tips.
The larvae of many species are very distinctive, tapering to a point at the tail and usually resting with both head and tail raised. They usually feed on the leaves of trees and shrubs, pupating between leaves spun together with silk. The larvae of the small SE Asian subfamily Cyclidiinae feed on Alangium (Alangiaceae).
15 species are resident in the UK:
- Scalloped Hook-tip (Falcaria lacertinaria)
- Oak Hook-tip (Falcaria binaria)
- Barred Hook-tip (Falcaria cultraria)
- Pebble Hook-tip (Drepana falcataria)
- Scarce Hook-tip (Sabra harpagula)
- Chinese Character (Cilix glaucata)
- Peach Blossom (Thyatira batis)
- Buff Arches (Habrosyne pyritoides)
- Figure of Eighty (Tethea ocularis)
- Poplar Lutestring (Tethea or)
- Satin Lutestring (Tetheella fluctuosa)
- Common Lutestring (Ochropacha duplaris)
- Oak Lutestring (Cymatophorima diluta)
- Yellow Horned (Achlya flavicornis)
- Frosted Green (Polyploca ridens)
Species from India
- Oreta extensa
[edit] See also
- The name "Drepanidae" has been used in the past for the family sicklefishes, but since the moth family has priority, the fishes are now known as Drepaneidae.
[edit] References
- Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
- Minet, J and MJ Scoble, 1999. The Drepanoid/Geometroid Assemblage. Ch. 17 in Kristensen, N.P. (Ed.). Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies. Volume 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbuch der Zoologie. Eine Naturgeschichte der Stämme des Tierreiches / Handbook of Zoology. A Natural History of the phyla of the Animal Kingdom. Band / Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta Teilband / Part 35: 491 pp. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York.
- Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984
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