Urodidae

Urodidae or "false burnet moths" is a family of moths in the lepidopteran order. It is the type genus in the superfamily, Urodoidea, with three genera, one of which, ''Wockia'', occurs in Europe.

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" (Dugdale et al., 1999) (i.e. not "Obtectomer

, but their closest relatives are as yet unknown and it is hoped that DNA sequencing can help resolve this question.

Urodidae was formerly the only family in the superfamily Urodoidea, but in 2020 a new family was described within Urodoidea, Ustyurtiidae.

Morphology and identification

Urodidae resemble some Zygaenidae: Procridinae at rest. 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 un scaled. 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 while ''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''). ''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, and is sometimes suspended on a very long thread below a leaf.

Species

The following is a list of selected species:
*'' Geoesthia ceylonica'' Sohn, 2014 ype locality Sri Lanka*'' Spiladarcha capnodes'' (Walsingham, 1914) (originally in ''Anchimacheta'')
*'' Spiladarcha derelicta'' Meyrick, 1913 ype locality British Guiana*'' Spiladarcha iodes'' (Walsingham, 1914) (originally in ''Anchimacheta'')
*'' Spiladarcha tolmetes'' (Walsingham, 1914) (originally in ''Anchimacheta'')
*'' Urodus amphilocha'' Meyrick, 1923
*'' Urodus aphanoptis'' Meyrick, 1930
*'' Urodus aphrogama'' Meyrick, 1936
*'' Urodus auchmera'' Walsingham, 1914
*'' Urodus brachyanches'' Meyrick, 1931
*'' Urodus calligera'' Zeller, 1877
*'' Urodus carabopa'' Meyrick, 1925
*'' Urodus chiquita'' Busck, 1910
*'' Urodus chrysoconis'' Meyrick, 1932
*'' Urodus costaricae'' Busck, 1910
*'' Urodus cumulata'' Walsingham, 1914
*'' Urodus cyanombra'' Meyrick, 1913
*'' Urodus cyclopica'' Meyrick, 1930
*'' Urodus decens'' Meyrick, 1925
*'' Urodus distincta'' Strand, 1911
*'' Urodus favigera'' Meyrick, 1913
*'' Urodus fonteboae'' Strand, 1911
*'' Urodus forficulella'' (Walsingham, 1897) (originally in ''Paratiquadra'')
*'' Urodus fulminalis'' Meyrick, 1931
*'' Urodus fumosa'' (Zeller, 1863) (originally in ''Trichostibas'')
*'' Urodus hephaestiella'' (Zeller, 1877)
*'' Urodus hexacentris'' Meyrick, 1931
*'' Urodus imitans'' Felder, 1875
*'' Urodus imitata'' Druce, 1884
*'' Urodus iophlebia'' Zeller, 1877
*'' Urodus isoxesta'' Meyrick, 1932
*'' Urodus isthmiella'' Busck, 1910
*''? Urodus lissopeda'' (Meyrick, 1932) (originally in ''Pygmocrates'')
*'' Urodus lithophaea'' Meyrick, 1913
*'' Urodus marantica'' Walsingham, 1914
*'' Urodus merida'' Strand, 1911
*'' Urodus mirella'' (Möschler, 1890) (originally in ''Pexicnemidia'')
*'' Urodus modesta'' Druce, 1884
*'' Urodus niphatma'' Meyrick, 1925
*'' Urodus opticosema'' Meyrick, 1930
*'' Urodus ovata'' Zeller, 1877
*'' Urodus pallidicostella'' Walsingham, 1897
*'' Urodus pamporphyra'' Meyrick, 1936
*'' Urodus parvula'' Edwards, 1881
*'' Urodus perischias'' Meyrick, 1925
*'' Urodus porphyrina'' Meyrick, 1932
*'' Urodus praetextata'' Meyrick, 1913
*'' Urodus procridias'' Meyrick, 1936
*'' Urodus pulvinata'' Meyrick, 1923
*'' Urodus sanctipaulensis'' Strand, 1911
*'' Urodus scythrochalca'' Meyrick, 1932
*'' Urodus sordidata'' Zeller, 1877
*'' Urodus spumescens'' Meyrick, 1925
*'' Urodus staphylina'' Meyrick, 1932
*'' Urodus subcaerulea'' Dognin, 1910
*'' Urodus sympiestis'' Meyrick, 1925
*'' Urodus tineiformis'' (Walker, 1856) (originally in ''Aperla'')
*'' Urodus transverseguttata'' Zeller, 1877
*'' Urodus triancycla'' Meyrick, 1931
*'' Urodus venatella'' Busck, 1910
*'' Urodus xiphura'' Meyrick, 1931
*''Wockia asperipunctella'' Bruand, 1850

References

*Heppner, J. (1991). Faunal regions and the diversity of Lepidoptera. ''Tropical Lepidoptera'', 2 (Suppl. 1): 1–85.
*Heppner, J. (1997). ''Wockia asperipunctella'' in North America (Lepidoptera: Urodidae: Galacticinae). ''Holarctic Lepidoptera'', 4(2)
*Heppner, J. (1998). Classification of Lepidoptera. Part 1. Introduction. ''Holarctic Lepidoptera'', 5 (Suppl. 1): 1–148.
*Kyrki, J. (1983). Adult abdominal sternum II in ditrysian tineoid superfamilies – morphology and phylogenetic significance (Lepidoptera). ''Annales Entomologia Fennica'', 49: 89–9
*Kyrki, J. (1988). The systematic position of ''Wockia'' Heinemann, 1870 and related genera (Lepidoptera: Ditrysia: Yponomeutidae auct.). ''Nota lepidopterologica'', 11: 45–69.
*Landry, J.-F. (1998). Additional Nearctic records of ''Wockia aspericpunctella'', with notes on its distribution and structural variation (Lepidoptera: Urodidae). ''Holarctic Lepidoptera'', 5(3): 9–13.

Sources

*''Firefly Encyclopedia of Insects and Spiders'', edited by Christopher O'Toole, , 2002. ernacular name*The systematic position of ''Wockia'' Heinemann, 1870, and related genera (Lepidoptera: Ditrysia: Yponomeutidae auct.). ''Nota lepidopterologica'', 11(1): 5

External links

Tree of LifeNHM Hosts DatabaseFauna Europaea Experts''Wockia asperipunctella'' from Lepidoptera of FinlandMoth Photographer's Group
*
''Urodus parvula'' voucherBarcoding progressNuclear gene sequencing progress

{{Taxonbar, from=Q530151

Urodidae,
Moth families