Hepialidae

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Hepialidae
Gold swift male "calling"
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Hepialoidea
Family: Hepialidae
Stephens, 1829
Genera
Diversity[2]
82 genera and at least 700 species

The Hepialidae are a

order
. Moths of this family are often referred to as swift moths or ghost moths.

Taxonomy and systematics

The Hepialidae constitute by far the most diverse group of the

derived group.[4][5] The most diverse genera are Oxycanus with 78 species, Endoclita with 78 species, andThitarodes with 80 species following a comprehensive catalogue of Exoporia.[4]<1>] The relationships of the many genera are not yet well established; see below for an ordered synonymic generic checklist,[4]
and the Taxobox for navigation.

Morphology and identification

The family Hepialidae is considered to be very primitive, with a number of structural differences to other moths including very short

phylogenetically too basal and constitute Microlepidoptera, although hepialids range from very small moths to a wingspan record of 250 mm in Zelotypia.[4] Because of their sometimes large size and striking colour patterns, they have received more popular and taxonomic attention than most "micros". Many species display strong sexual dimorphism, with males smaller but more boldly marked than females, or at high elevation, females of Pharmacis and Aoraia show "brachypterous" wing reduction.[7]

Distribution

Abantiades latipennis, Tasmania, Australia

Hepialidae are distributed on ancient landmasses worldwide except

St Helena, this is thought to be an error for South Africa.[4]

Behaviour

Swift moths are usually

leks, also thought to have arisen independently in the genus Ogygioses (Palaeosetidae).[6] In most genera, males fly swiftly to virgin females that are calling with scent. In other genera, virgin females "assemble" upwind to displaying males,[10] which emit a pheromone from scales on the metathoracic tibiae. In such cases of sex role reversal, there may be visual cues also: males of the European ghost swift are possibly the most frequently noticed species, being white, ghostly and conspicuous when forming a lek at dusk.[11] Sometimes they hover singly as if suspended from a thread or flying in a figure of eight motion.[4] The chemical structures of some pheromones have been analysed.[12]

Biology

The female does not lay its

dorsal spines on the abdominal segments as in other lower members of the Heteroneura.[6]

Economic significance

Chinese medicine makes considerable use of the "mummies" collected of the caterpillar-attacking fungi Ophiocordyceps sinensis, and these can form an expensive ingredient.[4][19] The witchetty grub (which are sometimes hepialid larvae) is a popular food source especially among aboriginal Australians. In Central America and South America, hepialid larvae are also eaten.[20] However, some species of Wiseana, Oncopera, Oxycanus, Fraus and Dalaca are considered pests of pastures in Australia, New Zealand, and South America.[4]

Phylogeny

The Hepialidae were identified as having primitive wing venation by John Henry Comstock (1893). In his study of Evolution of the Wings of Insects he shows that the fore and hind wings of Sthenopis (Hepialus) argenteomaculatus maintain a five branched radius while in the remainder of the Lepidoptera the hind wing radius is merged into one vein. This identifies the Hepialidae as a primitive relict of primitive wing venation.[21]

Faunas

Fauna of Europe

Source[22] and identification[23][24]

Generic checklist

Cited literature

  1. ^ John R. Grehan, Carlos G.C. Mielke, John R.G. Turner, and John E. Nielsen. 2023. A revised world catalogue of Ghost Moths (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) with taxonomic and biological annotations. ZooNova 28: 1-313
  2. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3148.1.41
    .
  3. ^ John R. Grehan, Carlos G.C. Mielke, John R.G. Turner, and John E. Nielsen. 2023. A revised world catalogue of Ghost Moths (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) with taxonomic and biological annotations. ZooNova 28: 1-313
  4. ^
    S2CID 86004391
    .
  5. ^ John R. Grehan, Carlos G.C. Mielke, John R.G. Turner, and John E. Nielsen. 2023. A revised world catalogue of Ghost Moths (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) with taxonomic and biological annotations. ZooNova 28: 1-313
  6. ^ a b c Kristensen, N.P., (1999). The non-Glossatan Moths. Ch. 4, pp. 41–62 in Kristensen, N.P. (Ed.). Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies. Volume 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbook of Zoology. A Natural History of the phyla of the Animal Kingdom. Band / Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta Teilband / Part 35: 491 pp. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York.
  7. ^ Sattler, Klaus (1991). "A review of wing reduction in Lepidoptera". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Entomology. 60 (2): 243–288.
  8. ^ "Buffalo Museum of Science – Home". www.sciencebuff.org. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  9. ^ This source is no longer available
  10. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1984.tb02320.x
    .
  11. PMC 1689211
    .
  12. S2CID 26903035
    .
  13. ^ Tindale, Norman Barnett (1932). "Revision of the Australian ghost moths (Lepidoptera Homoneura, family Hepialidae). Part 1". Records of the South Australian Museum. 4: 497–536.
  14. ^ "Ghost Moth Larva | UKmoths".
  15. ^ "Puriri moth: NZAC Pare". www.landcareresearch.co.nz. Archived from the original on 2004-04-23.
  16. doi:10.1080/00222938900770421
    .
  17. ^ H. Buser, W.Huber and R. Joos 2000 Hepialidae – Wurzelbohrer. Pp. 61-96 in Schmetterlinge und ihre Lebensräume. Band 3. Pro Natura, Basel.
  18. ^ Atijegbe, S. R.; Mansfield, S.; Rostás, M.; Ferguson, C. M.; Worner, S. (2020). "The remarkable locomotory ability of Wiseana (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) pupae: an adaptation to predation and environmental conditions?". The Wētā. 54: 19–31.
  19. S2CID 86294063
    .
  20. S2CID 84107193
    .
  21. ^ J. H., Comstock (1893). Evolution of the Wings of Insects. Ithaca, NY: The Wilder Quarter Century Book.
  22. ^ "Fauna Europaea". Archived from the original on October 1, 2007.
  23. ^ Chinery, M. (1986). Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe. (Reprinted 1991)
  24. ^ Skinner, B. (1984). Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles

References

  • Comstock, J.H., (1893). Evolution of the Wings of Insects. The Wilder Quarter Century Book, Ithaca, NY.
  • Kristensen, N.P., (1999). The non-Glossatan Moths. Ch. 4, pp. 41–62 in Kristensen, N.P. (Ed.). Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies. Volume 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbook of Zoology. A Natural History of the phyla of the Animal Kingdom. Band / Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta Teilband / Part 35: 491 pp. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York.
  • Nielsen, E.S., Robinson, G.S. and Wagner, D.L. 2000. Ghost-moths of the world: a global inventory and bibliography of the Exoporia (Mnesarchaeoidea and Hepialoidea) (Lepidoptera) Journal of Natural History, 34(6): 823–878.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hepialidae.
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