The Boarmiini (also often called ''Cleorini'') are a large

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

of geometer moths in the

Ennominae Ennominae is the largest subfamily of the geometer moth family (Geometridae) with some 9,700 described species in 1,100 genera. They are usually a fairly small moths, though some (such as the peppered moth) grow to be considerably large. This s ...

subfamily.

Description and systematics

This family is sometimes massively expanded, with the closely related Bistonini, Bupalini, Erannini, Gnophini, Melanolophini, Phaseliini and Theriini all merged into it. The eggs of all these geometer moths have the chorion cells characteristically arranged in longitudinal rows. The eggs of the Boarmiini in the narrow sense usually have a typical slender and narrow shape, with a soft chorion consisting of heavy-walled but unridged

polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed '' polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two t ...

al cells. However, in '' Cleora'' for example, the eggs approach the wide-walled shape found in many Bistonini. Adding further to the uncertainty is the fact that the Alsophilinae, usually treated as a small subfamily in their own right, might be a specialized lineage of Boarmiini; though their caterpillars are quite different, their

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

e have a peculiar T-shaped cremaster which very much resembles that of the Boarmiini. Boarmiini in the narrow sense are typically slender geometer moths that rest with the wings spread out flatly and do not tuck the hindwings under the forewings while at rest. Typically, they are cryptically colored and rather dark, with brownish-grey hues predominating; in many, there are two or three weak wavy bands extending across the wings and forming a rough semicircle when the moths are at rest. Though they all look quite similar in

habitus Habitus may refer to: * Habitus (biology), a term commonly used in biology as being less ambiguous than "habit" * Habitus (sociology), embodied dispositions or tendencies that organize how people perceive and respond to the world around them * ' ...

, there are few unequivocal characters that can be easily used to recognize adult members of this tribe. The females of many

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

have a conspicuously long ovipositor for hiding away the typical soft-shelled eggs. The valva and harpe (or "clasper") of the male genitalia are highly complex in almost all species and often bear various extensions. The juxta is typically well-developed, large and extended. Their caterpillars are rarely plump, and apparently at least some mimic twigs or thin leaves.

Selected genera

As numerous ennominae genera have not yet been unequivocally assigned to a tribe, the genus list is preliminary. In addition, the genera ''

Acrodontis ''Acrodontis'' is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae. Species * ''Acrodontis aenigma'' (Prout, 1914) * ''Acrodontis fumosa'' (Prout, 1930) * ''Acrodontis hunana'' Wehrli, 1936 * ''Acrodontis insularis'' Holloway, 1993 * ''Acrodontis ko ...

'' and '' Xerodes'' (usually placed in Ennomini), as well as ''

Monocerotesa ''Monocerotesa'' is a genus of moth in the family Geometridae. Species *''Monocerotesa abraxides'' (Prout, 1914) *''Monocerotesa coalescens'' (Bastelberger, 1909) *''Monocerotesa conjuncta'' (Wileman, 1912) *''Monocerotesa flavescens'' Inoue, 19 ...

'' (usually in Macariini) are placed in the Boarmiini by some authors. '' "Boarmia" penthearia'' however appears to belong to the Macariini.Young (2008) The

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

'' Lithopsyche'' was long assigned to the Boarmiini, but more recently a restudy indicated that it is a misidentified true

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...

( Papilionoidea). In 2019, the first geometrid caterpillar in Baltic amber was discovered by German scientists. Described under '' Eogeometer vadens'', it measured about , and was estimated to be 44 million years old, dating back to

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

epoch. It was described as the earliest evidence for the subfamily of ''Ennominae'', particularly the tribe of ''Boarmiini''.

References

* (2008)
Family group names in Geometridae
Retrieved 2008-JUL-22. * (1994): ''The Moths of Borneo: Family Geometridae, Subfamily Ennominae.'' London. * (2008)

Version of 2008-MAR-08. Retrieved 2008-JUL-21. * (2008): Characterisation of the Australian Nacophorini using adult morphology, and phylogeny of the Geometridae based on morphological characters. ''

Zootaxa ''Zootaxa'' is a peer-reviewed scientific mega journal for animal taxonomists. It is published by Magnolia Press ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view ...

'' 1736: 1-141
PDF abstract and excerpt

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4931466