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

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

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 ...

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 ...

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

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island (, ) is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island, Northern Territory, Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest of Adelaide. Its closest point to the mainland is Snapper Poi ...

, with the highest diversity in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. ''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. They can use their hindwings to startle potential predators. All known larvae of sun-moths feed on

monocotyledonous Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, ( Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are flowering plants whose seeds contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. A monocot taxon has been in use for several decades, but with various ranks an ...

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). Seve ...

'', ''

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 Accepted ...

'', ''

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 The following species ...

'' and ''

Lomandra ''Lomandra'', commonly known as mat rushes, is a genus of perennial, Herbaceous plant, herbaceous Monocotyledon, monocots in the family (biology), family Asparagaceae, subfamily Lomandroideae. The genus was first described in 1805 by Jacques Lab ...

.'' 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 cult ...

''.

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 ''Synemon discalis'', the small orange-spotted sun-moth, is a moth in the Castniidae family. It is found in Australia, including South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The wingspan is about 31 mm for males a ...

'' 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'' (commonly known as the Sun-moths) is a genus of moths within the family Castniidae. Edward Doubleday described it in 1846. The genus contains 24 described and 20 undescribed species. These species are found across mainland Australia a ...

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

References

Castniidae {{Castniidae-stub