Larentiinae is a subfamily of

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

s containing roughly 5,800

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

that occur mostly in the

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

regions of the world. They are generally considered a

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

of the geometer moth

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

(Geometridae) and are divided into a few large or good-sized

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

s, and numerous very small or even

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

ones which might not always be valid. Well-known members are the "pug moths" of the

Eupitheciini Eupitheciini is a tribe of geometer moths under subfamily Larentiinae, often referred to as pugs. The tribe was described by Tutt in 1896. Diversity The tribe consists of about 47 genera, 15 of which are monotypic. Recognized genera * '' Aepy ...

and the "carpets", mainly of the Cidariini and Xanthorhoini. The subfamily was described by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1845.

Systematics and description

Morphological and

DNA sequence A nucleic acid sequence is a succession of bases within the nucleotides forming alleles within a DNA (using GACT) or RNA (GACU) molecule. This succession is denoted by a series of a set of five different letters that indicate the order of the nu ...

data indicate that they are a very ancient lineage of geometer moths; they might even be distinct enough to warrant elevation to full family status in the superfamily

Geometroidea The Geometroidea are the superfamily of geometrid moths in the order Lepidoptera. It includes the families Geometridae, Uraniidae, Epicopeiidae, Sematuridae Sematuridae is a Family (biology), family of moths in the lepidopteran Order (bio ...

. They share numerous

plesiomorph In phylogenetics, a plesiomorphy ("near form") and symplesiomorphy are synonyms for an ancestral Phenotypic trait, character shared by all members of a clade, which does not distinguish the clade from other clades. Plesiomorphy, symplesiomorph ...

ic traits – for example at least one

areola The human areola (''areola mammae'', or ) is the pigmented area on the breast around the nipple. More generally, an areola is a small circular area on the Human body, body with a different histology from the surrounding Tissue (biology), tissue ...

in the forewing, a hammer-shaped ansa of the

tympanal organ A tympanal organ (or tympanic organ) is a hearing organ in insects, consisting of a tympanal membrane ( tympanum) stretched across a frame backed by an air sac and associated sensory neurons. Sounds vibrate the membrane, and the vibrations are s ...

and the lack of a gnathos – with the Sterrhinae which are either somewhat less distant from other geometer moths or are part of the same distinct lineage; the Lythriini were until recently placed in the Larentiinae but are apparently Sterrhinae.Õunap ''et al.'' (2008), Young (2008) But the Larentiinae characteristically tend to have much longer foreleg tarsi and hindleg tibiae than their relatives, and also have hairy or toothed extensions on the upperside sections of the transtilla; their

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

s often have the abdominal

proleg A proleg is a small, fleshy, stub structure found on the ventral surface of the abdomen of most larval forms of insects of the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, though they can also be found on larvae of insects such as symphyta, sawflies. In ...

s reduced already (as is typical for the more advanced geometer moths), and the Larentiinae's

s have a unique and characteristic structure.

Selected genera and species

Genera ''incertae sedis''

Several

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

have hitherto not been definitely assigned to a

.See references in Savela (2008) These include:

Footnotes

References

* (2008)
"Family group names in Geometridae"
Retrieved 22 July 2008. * (2008). "Systematic position of Lythriini revised: transferred from Larentiinae to Sterrhinae (Lepidoptera, Geometridae)". '' Zoologica Scripta''. 37 (4): 405–413. * * (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 (Auckland, New Zealand). The journal was established by Zhi-Qiang Zhang in 2001 and new issues are published multiple times a week ...

''. 1736: 1–141.

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q139176 Geometridae Moth subfamilies