Suborder Glossata Superfamily Urodoidea | Scientific name Urodidae Rank Family | |
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Similar Epermeniidae, Douglasiidae, Acanthopteroctetidae, Hyblaeidae, Mnesarchaea | ||
Urodidae or "false burnet moths" is a family of insects in the lepidopteran order, representing its own superfamily, Urodoidea, with three genera, one of which, Wockia, occurs in Europe.
Contents
- Taxonomy and systematics
- Morphology and identification
- Distribution
- Biology and host plants
- Provisional list of species based on Lepindex
- References
Taxonomy and systematics
Urodidae were previously included in the superfamily Yponomeutoidea (Kyrki, 1984, 1988) and have also been lumped with Galacticidae (Heppner, 1991, 1997) or with other Sesioidea (Heppner, 1998). They belong to the lower part of the lepidopteran clade "Apoditrysia"[1] (Dugdale et al., 1999) (i.e. not "Obtectomera"[2]), but their closest relatives are as yet unknown and it is hoped that DNA sequencing can help resolve this question[3].
Morphology and identification
Urodidae resemble some Zygaenidae: Procridinae at rest [4], These small to medium-sized moths measure 11 to 37 mm in wingspan and often have a greyish or mottled forewing background colour. The male adult has a "hairpencil" on the costa of the hindwing. In the caterpillar, the placement of the setae and structure of the prolegs is diagnostic, and the pupal segments I-II are fixed. On the head, there are no ocelli or "chaetosemata" and the proboscis even at the base is unscaled. An "epiphysis" is present on the foreleg (Dugdale et al. (1999), and for more details).
Distribution
The genera Urodus and Spiladarcha occur in the Neotropics whilst Wockia asperipunctella occurs in Europe and has recently been found in northern North America (Heppner, 1997; Landry, 1998) and unless this is a recent invasion the species would be a good example of a Holarctic distribution pattern.
Biology and host plants
The biology is poorly known, but the larvae can be found on various tree species including some fruit trees. The "bumelia webworm moth" (Urodus parvula) is recorded on Lauraceae: (avocado=Persea), Fagaceae (Quercus), Sapotaceae (Sideroxylon) and Erythroxylaceae: Erythroxylum. Urodus parvula has also been reared on Rutaceae (Citrus) and Malvaceae (Hibiscus)[5]. W. asperipunctella has in North America been reared from quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) (Landry, 1998) and also Salix in Europe. The pupa is contained in an open-mesh cocoon, which can be bright orange in colour, which is sometimes suspended on a very long thread below a leaf.
Provisional list of species (based on Lepindex)
