Lymantrini
| Lymantria | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lymantriidae |
| Subfamily: | Lymantriinae |
| Tribe: | Lymantriini |
Lymantrini (also Lymantriini) is a tribe of the family Lymantriidae, comprising a group of polyphagous noctuoid (or owlet) moths that reside mostly in the tropical regions of Afro-Eurasia, but also North America.
Overview
The tribe was originally described by entomologist Douglas C. Ferguson as one of two tribes (the other Orgyiini) in lieu of a subfamily. A 2006 paper by J.D. Holloway distinguished three new tribes from Lymantrini — Nygmiini, Leucomini and Arctornithini. By doing this, Holloway acknowledges that Lymantrini is "possibly the most weakly defined of those presented here ... [it] lacks all the strongly definitive features of the other tribes." The genus Lymantria (Hübner) is the most prominent member of the tribe.
Description
Within the family, Lymantrini is distinguished from other tribes by dark, usually zig-zag (sometimes crescent-shaped) banding on the forewings, V-shaped marks on the wing as well as a discal spot and an orbicular spot. It is also characterized by the lack of an areole.
Lymantrini generally are not particularly native to any one area, being found in both the Nearctic and Palearctic zones.
References
- Holloway, J.D. (2006): Moths of Borneo The Moths of Borneo, part 5: Family Lymantriidae. Accessed Jan. 24, 2011.