''Synemon'' (commonly known as the Sun-moths) is a genus of

moths 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 w ...

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 medium-sized to very large moths, usually with drab, cryptically-ma ...

. It was described by

Edward Doubleday Edward Doubleday (9 October 1810 – 14 December 1849) was an English entomologist primarily interested in Lepidoptera. He is best known for ''The Genera of Diurnal Lepidoptera: Comprising Their Generic Characters, a Notice of Their Habits and ...

in 1846. The genus contains 24 described and 20 undescribed species. These species are found across mainland Australia and on

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

, with the highest diversity in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. ''Synemon'' species can be found in a range of habitats, including woodlands, heathlands and native perennial grasslands. The adults fly during the daytime in warm to hot weather. They have clubbed antennae, and are often mistaken for butterflies. Sun-moths typically have dull coloured forewings which, at rest, conceal their brightly coloured hindwings. The hindwings can be used to startle potential predators. All known larvae of sun-moths feed on

monocotyledonous 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 t ...

plants, such as ''

Rytidosperma ''Rytidosperma'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. Most of the species occur in Australasia, with a few in insular Southeast Asia, southern South America (Chile + Argentina), and certain islands of the Pacific (Hawaii + Easter Island).

'', ''

Gahnia ''Gahnia'' (sawsedge, saw-sedge) is a genus of sedges native to China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and a number of Pacific Islands. The common name is due to the toothed margins. It often forms tussocks. Species Accept ...

'', ''

Lepidosperma ''Lepidosperma'' is a genus of flowering plant of the family Cyperaceae. Most of the species are endemic to Australia, with others native to southern China, southeast Asia, New Guinea, New Caledonia and New Zealand. Species Species include: Abb ...

'' and ''

Lomandra ''Lomandra'', commonly known as mat rushes, is a genus of perennial, herbaceous monocots in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Lomandroideae. There are 51 species, all of which are native to Australia; two of them also extend into New Guinea ...

.'' Since European settlement, many species have suffered drastic reductions in their distributions due to habitat loss from agriculture and other threats. Some are listed as threatened, including ''Synemon plana'', which is listed as critically endangered under the Australian Government ''

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cultu ...

''.

Species

The genus includes the following species: * '' Synemon austera'' Meyrick, 1891 * '' Synemon brontias'' Meyrick, 1891 * '' Synemon catocaloides'' Walker, 1865 * '' Synemon collecta'' Swinhoe, 1892 * '' Synemon directa'' Westwood, 1877 * '' Synemon discalis'' Strand, 1911 * '' Synemon gratiosa'' Westwood, 1877 * '' Synemon heliopis'' Meyrick, 1891 * '' Synemon jcaria'' R. Felder, 1874 * '' Synemon laeta'' Walker, 1854 * '' Synemon leucospila'' Meyrick, 1891 * '' Synemon magnifica'' Strand, 1911 * '' Synemon maja'' Strand, 1911 * '' Synemon nais'' Klug, 1850 * '' Synemon notha'' Westwood, 1877 * '' Synemon nupta'' Westwood, 1877 * '' Synemon obscurella'' Westwood, 1877 * '' Synemon parthenoides'' R. Felder, 1874 * '' Synemon phaeoptila'' Turner, 1906 * ''

Synemon plana ''Synemon plana'', commonly known as the golden sun moth, is a Diurnal animal, diurnal moth native to Australia and throughout its range, it is currently classified as vulnerable under the ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Ac ...

'' Walker, 1854 * '' Synemon selene'' Klug, 1850 * '' Synemon sophia'' (White, 1841) * '' Synemon theresa'' Doubleday, 1846 * '' Synemon wulwulam'' Angel, 1951

References

Castniidae {{Castniidae-stub