''Thaumetopoea'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

moth 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 ...

s belonging to the family

Notodontidae Notodontidae is a family of moths with approximately 3,800 known species. The family was described by James Francis Stephens in 1829. Moths of this family are found in all parts of the world, but they are most concentrated in tropical areas, espe ...

. It was first described by

Jacob Hübner Jacob Hübner (20 June 1761 – 13 September 1826, in Augsburg) was a German entomologist. He was the author of ''Sammlung Europäischer Schmetterlinge'' (1796–1805), a founding work of entomology. Scientific career Hübner was the author of '' ...

in 1820. In 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 ...

form, they bear the

vernacular name A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

of processionary because their gregarious

larvae A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

conspicuously move in single file. The adults live a few days without feeding. Some ''Thaumetopoea'' species, for example ''

Thaumetopoea pityocampa The pine processionary (''Thaumetopoea pityocampa'') is a moth of the subfamily Thaumetopoeinae in the family Notodontidae, known for the irritating hairs of its caterpillars, their processions, and the economic damage they cause in coniferous ...

'', are expanding their range towards higher latitudes and altitudes due to the current climate warming. The caterpillars carry

urticating hair Urticating hairs or urticating bristles are one of the primary defense mechanisms used by numerous plants, almost all New World tarantulas, and various lepidopteran caterpillars. ''Urtica'' is Latin for "nettle" (stinging nettles are in the genu ...

s which cause health problems in humans.

Systematics

The etymology of the name of the genus is from the Greek words and (), "to create", thus meaning "creating wonder", i.e. "looking remarkable". This explains why the name is sometimes spelled ''Thaumatopoea'', i.e. in the latinized form of ''thaumatopoiia'' "marvellous achievement" (cf. ''thauma'' "marvel, wonder"). The genus ''Thaumetopoea'' contains the following species: * '' Thaumetopoea bonjeani'' (Powell, 1922) - cedar processionary * '' Thaumetopoea herculeana'' Rambur, 1840 * '' Thaumetopoea pinivora'' (Treitschke, 1834) or ''Traumatocampa pinivora'' (Treitschke 1834) - eastern pine processionary * ''

'' (Denis and Schiffermüller, 1775) or ''Traumatocampa pityocampa'' (Denis & Schiffermüller 1775) - pine processionary * '' Thaumetopoea processionea'' (Linnaeus, 1758) - oak processionary * '' Thaumetopoea solitaria'' (Freyer, 1838) - pistachio processionary or solitary * '' Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni'' Tams, 1924 or ''Traumatocampa wilkinsoni'' (Tams 1926) * '' Thaumetopoea hellenica'' * ''

Thaumetopoea mediterranea ''Thaumetopoea'' is a genus of moths belonging to the family Notodontidae. It was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1820. In their caterpillar form, they bear the vernacular name of processionary because their gregarious larvae conspicuously ...

Pine Processionary (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) (4990106967)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3519653 Thaumetopoeinae