Castniidae, or castniid moths, is a small family of
moth
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...
s with fewer than 200 species: The majority are
Neotropical with some in
Australia and a few in
south-east Asia. These are medium-sized to very large moths, usually with drab, cryptically-marked forewings and brightly coloured hindwings. They have clubbed
antennae and are day flying, and are often mistaken for
butterflies
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 t ...
. Indeed, some previous classification systems placed this family within the butterflies or
skippers. The Neotropical species are commonly known as giant butterfly-moths, the Australian and Asian species as sun moths. The larvae are internal feeders, often on roots of
epiphytes or on
monocotyledons
Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, ( Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...
.
[184-188).]
Taxonomy
Subfamily Castniinae
*Tribe Castniini
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Amauta''
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Athis''
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Castnia''
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Castniomera''
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Corybantes''
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Eupalamides
''Eupalamides'' is a genus of moths within the family Castniidae. It was described by Constant Vincent Houlbert
Constant Vincent Houlbert (18 July 1857 in Voutré en Mayenne – 22 December 1947 in Rennes) was a French entomologist who s ...
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Feschaeria
''Feschaeria'' is a genus of moths within the Castniidae family.
Selected species
*'' Feschaeria amycus'' (Cramer, 779
__NOTOC__
Year 779 ( DCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 779 for this ...
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Geyeria''
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Haemonides''
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Hista''
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Imara''
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Insigniocastnia
''Insigniocastnia'' is a genus of moths within the family Castniidae containing only one species, ''Insigniocastnia taisae'', which is found in Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the ...
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Ircila
''Ircila'' is a monotypic moth genus in the family Castniidae described by Constant Vincent Houlbert in 1918. Its single species, ''Ircila hecacte'', was first described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1854. It is known from Ha ...
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Lapaeumides
''Lapaeumides'' is a genus of moths within the family Castniidae.
Species
*'' Lapaeumides actor'' (Dalman, 1824)
*'' Lapaeumides ctesiphon'' (Hübner, 820
__NOTOC__
Year 820 ( DCCCXX) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the ...
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Spilopastes
''Spilopastes'' is a genus of moths within the Castniidae family, containing one species, ''Spilopastes galinthias'' which is known from Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the lar ...
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Synpalamides
''Synpalamides'' is a genus of moths within the Castniidae
Castniidae, or castniid moths, is a small family of moths with fewer than 200 species: The majority are Neotropical with some in Australia and a few in south-east Asia. These are medi ...
''
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Telchin''
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Xanthocastnia
''Xanthocastnia'' is a genus of moths within the family Castniidae containing only one species, ''Xanthocastnia evalthe'', which is widespread in the Neotropical realm, ranging from southern Mexico to southern Brazil.
Adults are day-flying.
Sub ...
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Yagra''
*Tribe Gazerini
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Castnius
''Castnius'' is a genus of moths within the family Castniidae. It was described by Jacob Hübner in 1819.
Species
* '' Castnius marcus'' (Jordan, 1908)
* '' Castnius pelasgus'' (Cramer, 779
__NOTOC__
Year 779 ( DCCLXXIX) was a common year st ...
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Ceretes
''Ceretes'' is a genus of moths within the family Castniidae. It was described by Schaufuss in 1870.
Species
* '' Ceretes marcelserres'' (Godart, 824
__NOTOC__
Year 824 ( DCCCXXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the f ...
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Divana''
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Duboisvalia
''Duboisvalia'' is a genus of moths within the family Castniidae
Castniidae, or castniid moths, is a small family of moths with fewer than 200 species: The majority are Neotropical with some in Australia and a few in south-east Asia. These ar ...
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Frostetola''
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Gazera''
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Mirocastnia
''Mirocastnia'' is a genus of moths within the family Castniidae
Castniidae, or castniid moths, is a small family of moths with fewer than 200 species: The majority are Neotropical with some in Australia and a few in south-east Asia. These are ...
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Oiticicastnia''
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Paysandisia
''Paysandisia archon'' is a moth of the family Castniidae. It is native to Uruguay and central Argentina and has been accidentally introduced to Europe, where it is spreading rapidly. It is considered the only member of the genus ''Paysandisia ...
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Prometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titan god of fire. Prometheus is best known for defying the gods by stealing fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, know ...
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Riechia
''Riechia'' is a genus of moths within the family Castniidae containing only one species, ''Riechia acraeoides'', which is found in Peru, Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, Repú ...
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Tosxampila
''Tosxampila'' is a genus of moths within the family Castniidae
Castniidae, or castniid moths, is a small family of moths with fewer than 200 species: The majority are Neotropical with some in Australia and a few in south-east Asia. These are ...
''
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Zegara''
*Tribe Synemonini
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Synemon''
Subfamily Tascininae
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Tascina''
Subfamily ''
incertae sedis
' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...
''
*
†
A dagger, obelisk, or obelus is a typographical mark that usually indicates a footnote if an asterisk has already been used. The symbol is also used to indicate death (of people) or extinction (of species). It is one of the modern descendan ...
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Dominickus
''Dominickus'' is an extinct genus of moth in the butterfly-moth family Castniidae containing a single species ''Dominickus castnioides''. The species is known from late Eocene, Priabonian stage, lake deposits near the small community of Guffey ...
''
References
*
External links
Natural History Museum Lepidoptera genus listTree of LifeAustralian Moths Online
Moth families
{{Castniidae-stub