family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Uraniidae
The Uraniidae are a family of moths containing four subfamilies, 90 genera, and roughly 700 species. The family is distributed throughout the tropics of the Americas, Africa and Indo-Australia.Carter, David, ''Eyewitness Handbook to Butterflies ...
. The subfamily was first described by
George Hampson
Sir George Francis Hampson, 10th Baronet (14 January 1860 – 15 October 1936) was an English entomologist.
Hampson studied at Charterhouse School and Exeter College, Oxford. He travelled to India to become a tea-planter in the Nilgiri Hills ...
in 1892. They are the most diverse and widespread uraniid group, occurring mainly throughout the
Pantropics
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referre ...
but barely reaching into the
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
regions. The Epipleminae are notable for the
sexually dimorphic
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...
tympanal organ
A tympanal organ (or tympanic organ) is a hearing organ in insects, consisting of a membrane ( tympanum) stretched across a frame backed by an air sac and associated sensory neurons. Sounds vibrate the membrane, and the vibrations are sensed by ...
which is unlike any other lepidopteran's in details of its
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
. Some species are also peculiar in being able to roll their wings into a stick-like shape, possibly as a form of
crypsis
In ecology, crypsis is the ability of an animal or a plant to avoid observation or detection by other animals. It may be a predation strategy or an antipredator adaptation. Methods include camouflage, nocturnality, subterranean lifestyle and ...
. Such behavior has hitherto only been found in this subfamily and the quite unrelated
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 ...
(Sohn & Yen 2005).
Unlike the often colorful
Uraniinae
(1) Use ''Endospermum'' as a food plant.(2) Use '' Omphalea'' as a food plant and adults are diurnal. ''Urapterita'' is not included for lack of data.
The Uraniinae or uraniine moths are a subfamily of moths in the family Ura ...
, they are smallish and drab species, and have earlier been erroneously placed with the
Geometridae
The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek ''geo'' γεω (derivative form of or "the earth"), and ''metr ...
or
Drepanidae
The Drepanidae are a family of moths with about 660 species described worldwide. They are generally divided in three subfamilies) which share the same type of hearing organ. Thyatirinae, previously often placed in their own family, bear a superf ...
based on
phenetic
In biology, phenetics ( el, phainein – to appear) , also known as taximetrics, is an attempt to classify organisms based on overall similarity, usually in morphology or other observable traits, regardless of their phylogeny or evolutionary re ...
considerations. Only three species have come to note as minor
pest
Pest or The Pest may refer to:
Science and medicine
* Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns
** Weed, a plant considered undesirable
* Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection
** ...
Dysaethria moza
''Dysaethria'' is a genus of moths in the family Uraniidae. It was described by Turner in 1911. The species of this genus occur mainly in Asia and in Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, ...
'' – formerly ''Epiplema''
Genera
This list of genera is preliminary. A complete review of the subfamily seems hardly possible as a monographical work given its diversity, so it will probably be reviewed piecemeal (e.g. Sohn & Yen 2005). Several genera are known ('' Epiplema'') or suspected ('' Monobolodes'', ''
Phazaca
''Phazaca'' is a genus 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 ...
'') not to be
monophyletic
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic ...
Antiplecta
''Antiplecta'' is a genus of scoopwing moths in the family Uraniidae. There are about five described species in ''Antiplecta''.
Species
These five species belong to the genus ''Antiplecta'':
* '' Antiplecta caesia'' Warren, 1906
* '' Antiplecta ...
Callizzia
''Callizzia'' is a genus of scoopwing moths of the family Uraniidae. The genus was described by Packard in 1876. The adults' hindwings are sharply creased, forming a scoop shape. There are two species in the genus. The gray scoopwing moth ( ...
Chaetopyga
''Epiplema'' is a genus of moths in the family Uraniidae described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1855. A number of species have been reassigned to ''Europlema''.
Description
Palpi porrect (extending forward), projecting beyon ...
Dysaethria
''Dysaethria'' is a genus of moths in the family Uraniidae. It was described by Turner in 1911. The species of this genus occur mainly in Asia and in Australia.
Species
*'' Dysaethria albidaria'' (Walker)
*'' Dysaethria albolilacina'' (Holloway ...
polyphyletic
A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of conver ...
Europlema
''Europlema'' is a genus of moths in the family Uraniidae. The genus was erected by Jeremy Daniel Holloway in 1998.
Species
*'' Europlema bilobuncus'' Holloway, 1998
*'' Europlema conchiferata'' (Moore, 1887)
*'' Europlema desistaria'' (Walker, ...
Oroplema
''Oroplema'' is a genus of moths in the family Uraniidae. The genus was erected by Jeremy Daniel Holloway in 1998.
Species
*'' Oroplema dealbata'' (Warren, 1906)
*''Oroplema oyamana'' (Matsumura, 1931)
*''Oroplema simplex'' (Warren, 1899)
*'' Or ...
Phazaca
''Phazaca'' is a genus 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 ...
Philagraula
''Philagraula'' is a genus of scoopwing moths in the family Uraniidae. There is one described species in ''Philagraula'', ''P. slossoniae''.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Uraniidae
Articles created by Qbugbot< ...
Pterotosoma
''Pterotosoma'' is a genus of moths in the family Uraniidae first described by Warren in 1903.
Species
*'' Pterotosoma bilineata'' Warren, 1903
*'' Pterotosoma castanea'' (Warren, 1898)
References
Uraniidae
{{Geometroidea-stub ...