Ourapterygini

Ourapterygini
Omnivorous Looper (Sabulodes aegrotata), dark individual
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
(unranked): Macrolepidoptera
Superfamily: Geometroidea
Family: Geometridae
Subfamily: Ennominae
Tribe: Ourapterygini
Bruand, 1846
Genera

About 60; see text

Synonyms

[1]
Cingiliini Forbes, 1948
Emplocidae Guenée, 1858
Emplociini Guenée, 1858
Oxydiidae Butler, 1886
Oxydiini Butler, 1886
Urapteridae Bruand, 1846

The Ourapterygini are one of the large tribes of geometer moths in the Ennominae subfamily. They are particularly plentiful in the Neotropics. Ourapterygini are generally held to be the youngest tribe of their subfamily, and at least seasonally have characteristic apomorphic asymmetrical processes of the anellus.[2]

Many members of this tribe are remarkably butterfly-like. The tribe contains more partially diurnal species than usual for geometer moths, and many do not have the cryptic coloration typical for the family. There is a tendency to light yellowish hues and either little or a quite bold pattern, making some species rather conspicuous. It is known that at least some are noxious to predators, and such coloration might be aposematic.

Genera and selected species

As numerous ennomine genera have not yet been assigned to a tribe,[3] the genus list is preliminary.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Forum Herbulot (2008)
  2. ↑ Young (2008)
  3. ↑ See references in Savela (2008)

References

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