__NOTOC__ The Azelinini are a

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

geometer moth The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek ''geo'' γεω (derivative form of or "the earth"), and ''metr ...

s in the

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 subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Ennominae Ennominae is the largest subfamily of the geometer moth family (Geometridae) with some 9,700 described species in 1,100 genera. They are usually a fairly small moths, though some (such as the peppered moth) grow to be considerably large. This sub ...

, with many

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly in South America. Several species are found in North America as well. These stocky geometer moths seem to be closely related to other robust tribes, such as the Campaeini,

Ennomini __NOTOC__ The Ennomini are a tribe of geometer moths in the Ennominae subfamily. They are large-bodied and rather nondescript Ennominae, overall showing many similarities to the closely related Azelinini and Nacophorini.Young (2008) Most have ...

, Lithinini and

Nacophorini The Nacophorini are one of the smaller tribes of geometer moths in the subfamily Ennominae. They are the most diverse Ennominae of Australia and are widespread in the Americas. If the African genera tentatively placed herein indeed belong here, t ...

– all of which might warrant to be subsumed in the Ennomini – the genus ''

Odontopera ''Odontopera'' is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae described by Stephens in 1831. '' Aethiopodes'' is sometimes also included here. Selected species *'' Odontopera albiguttulata'' Bastelberger, 1909 *''Odontopera bidentata The scall ...

'', and perhaps the

Caberini Caberini is a tribe of geometrid moths in the family Geometridae. There are at least 50 described species in Caberini. Taxonomic note: *Molecular analyses by Sihvonen et al. (2011) supports separating the tribe Baptini Baptini is a tribe of ge ...

and Colotoini.Young (2008) The tribe was first described by William Trowbridge Merrifield Forbes in 1948.

Description

They rest with their wings stretched out parallel to the surface, and the hindwings hidden under the forewings unlike most related Ennominae. Though they are among the larger

Geometridae The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek ''geo'' γεω (derivative form of or "the earth"), and ''met ...

, they are nonetheless not very conspicuous; the outer third of the forewings is usually conspicuously lighter than the middle third, and at the apical end of the forewing cell there is usually a white or black spot, altogether very much reminiscent of the

's pattern. At least some Azelinini lack the

sensilla A sensillum (plural ''sensilla'') is an arthropod sensory organ protruding from the cuticle of exoskeleton, or sometimes lying within or beneath it. Sensilla appear as small hairs or pegs over an individual's body. Inside each sensillum there are ...

e at the end of the adults' antennae found in most geometer moths. The foreleg tarsi are relatively short, as in many of their relatives. The hindwing veins Sc and R1 are extensively fused in some Azelinini, reminding of the

Larentiini Larentiini is a tribe of geometer moths under subfamily Larentiinae. The tribe was first described by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1845. Recognized genera * ''Anticlea'' Stephens, 1831 * '' Antilurga'' Herbulot, 1951 * '' Earophila'' G ...

which are not very closely related. The characteristic comb of

transverse Transverse may refer to: *Transverse engine, an engine in which the crankshaft is oriented side-to-side relative to the wheels of the vehicle *Transverse flute, a flute that is held horizontally * Transverse force (or ''Euler force''), the tangen ...

setae on the underside of the males' abdominal segment A3, found in many Ennominae, is apparently absent in the Azelinini, as is the associated "scent-brush" on the hindleg

tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

e. The male genital's valvae usually have complex

autapomorph In phylogenetics, an autapomorphy is a distinctive feature, known as a derived trait, that is unique to a given taxon. That is, it is found only in one taxon, but not found in any others or outgroup taxa, not even those most closely related to t ...

ic modifications (such as a hypertrophied

ampulla An ampulla (; ) was, in Ancient Rome, a small round vessel, usually made of glass and with two handles, used for sacred purposes. The word is used of these in archaeology, and of later flasks, often handle-less and much flatter, for holy water or ...

and gnathos) in this tribe, but the valvula, like in their relatives, is not

distal Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pro ...

ly expanded. Unusually, they have both an elongated

uncus The uncus is an anterior extremity of the parahippocampal gyrus. It is separated from the apex of the temporal lobe by a slight fissure called the incisura temporalis (also called rhinal sulcus). Although superficially continuous with the hippo ...

and well-developed

socii The ''socii'' ( in English) or ''foederati'' ( in English) were confederates of ancient Rome, Rome and formed one of the three legal denominations in Roman Italy (''Italia'') along with the Roman citizens (''Cives'') and the ''Latin Rights, Latin ...

;, the sacculus is rarely hairy and the saccus' vinculum is generally neither extended nor recurved. Some Azelilini, perhaps all, completely lack the

cornuti The ''Cornuti'' ("horned") was an ''auxilia palatina'' unit of the Late Roman army, active in the 4th and 5th century. It was probably related to the ''Cornuti seniores'' and the ''Cornuti iuniores''. History According to some scholars, they ar ...

(spines) on the vesica of the

aedeagus An aedeagus (plural aedeagi) is a reproductive organ of male arthropods through which they secrete sperm from the testes during copulation with a female. It can be thought of as the insect equivalent of a mammal's penis, though the comparison ...

usually found in Lepidoptera. Of the female genitalia, the

ovipositor The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typical ...

is narrow. A robust funnel-shaped

antrum ''This is a disambiguation page for the biological term. For the 2018 horror movie, see Antrum (film)'' In biology, antrum is a general term for a cavity or chamber, which may have specific meaning in reference to certain organs or sites in the bod ...

– the foremost part of the ostium bursae – is present and the interior of the corpus bursae is studded with small spines, while the ductus bursae is delicate and not sclerotized much. Like the Nacophorini, 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 Sym ...

s have many

seta In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. Th ...

e on the (vestigial)

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 Lepidoptera, though they can also be found on other larval insects such as sawflies and a few other types of in ...

s of

abdominal The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

segment A6. And like the Ennomini and Nacophorini, their

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

e have

antenna Antenna ( antennas or antennae) may refer to: Science and engineering * Antenna (radio), also known as an aerial, a transducer designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic (e.g., TV or radio) waves * Antennae Galaxies, the name of two collid ...

l tubercles. The

chorion The chorion is the outermost fetal membrane around the embryo in mammals, birds and reptiles (amniotes). It develops from an outer fold on the surface of the yolk sac, which lies outside the zona pellucida (in mammals), known as the vitelline ...

cell walls of their eggs are visibly reticulated only around the

micropyle Micropyle may refer to: * Micropyle (botany) In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the ''integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (o ...

Selected genera

As numerous ennomine genera have not yet been assigned to a tribe,See references in Savela (2008) the genus list is preliminary. * ''

Pero Pero may refer to: * Pero (mythology), several personages in Greek mythology ** Pero (princess), daughter of Neleus * Pero (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname Pero * Pero language, a language of Nigeria * Pero, Lombardy, ...

'' Herrich-Schäffer, 1855 * '' Stenaspilatodes'' Franclemont & Poole, 1972 '' Oratha'', usually placed in the

, might also belong here.

Footnotes

References

* * (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. {{Taxonbar, from=Q4832364 Taxa named by William Trowbridge Merrifield Forbes Moth tribes