The Drepanidae are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 with about 660

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 ...

described worldwide. They are generally divided in three subfamilies) which share the same type of hearing organ.

Thyatirinae The Thyatirinae, or false owlet moths, are a subfamily of the moth family Drepanidae The Drepanidae are a family of moths with about 660 species described worldwide. They are generally divided in three subfamilies) which share the same type ...

, previously often placed in their own family, bear a superficial resemblance to

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...

. Many species in the drepanid family have a distinctively hook-shaped apex to the fore wing, leading to their common name of hook-tips. The

larva 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. ...

e of many species are very distinctive, tapering to a point at the tail and usually resting with both head and tail raised. They usually feed on the leaves of

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s and

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

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 thei ...

ting between leaves spun together with silk.

Taxonomy

*Subfamily

Drepaninae Drepaninae are by far the largest subfamily of the Drepanidae moths. While it is usually split into two tribes, Drepanini and Oretini, its internal systematics and phylogeny A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenst ...

– hook-tips *Subfamily

– false owlets *Subfamily

Cyclidiinae Cyclidiinae is a small subfamily of the Drepanidae moths. They occur in Southeast Asia. Their caterpillars feed on ''Alangium ''Alangium'' is a small genus of flowering plants. The genus is included either in a broad view of the dogwood f ...

*Unassigned to subfamily **''

Hypsidia ''Hypsidia'' is a genus of moths belonging to the subfamily Thyatirinae of the Drepanidae. It was described by Walter Rothschild in 1896. Species *The ''niphosema'' species group In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related o ...

'' Rothschild, 1896 **''

Yucilix ''Yucilix'' is a monotypic moth genus in the family Drepanidae The Drepanidae are a family of moths with about 660 species described worldwide. They are generally divided in three subfamilies) which share the same type of hearing organ. Thy ...

'' Yang, 1978

References

* Chinery, Michael (1986): ''Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe'' * Minet, J. & Scoble, M.J. (1999): The Drepanoid/Geometroid Assemblage. ''In:'' Kristensen, N.P. (ed.): ''Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies'' Volume 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography, chapter 17. ''Handbuch der Zoologie. Eine Naturgeschichte der Stämme des Tierreiches / Handbook of Zoology. A Natural History of the phyla of the Animal Kingdom.'' vol. IV: Arthropoda: Insecta. Part 35. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin & New York. * Skinner, Bernard (1984): ''Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles''

External links

CSIRO
Images Taxa named by Edward Meyrick Moth families {{Drepanidae-stub

Taxonomy

See also

References

External links