Urodidae or "false burnet moths" is a

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

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 in the

lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

. It is the type genus in the

superfamily SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP superfamilies. Domains are functional, str ...

, Urodoidea, with three genera, one of which, ''Wockia'', occurs in Europe.

Taxonomy and systematics

Urodidae were previously included in the superfamily

Yponomeutoidea Yponomeutoidea is a superfamily of ermine moths and relatives. There are about 1,800 species of Yponomeutoids worldwide, most of them known to come from temperate regions. This superfamily is one of the earliest groups to evolve external feeding ...

(Kyrki, 1984, 1988) and have also been lumped with

Galacticidae Galacticidae is a recently recognised and enigmatic family of insects in the lepidopteran order. These moderate sized moths are 8–17 mm in wingspan and have previously been embedded within several lepidopteran superfamilies (Tineoidea: ...

(Heppner, 1991, 1997) or with other

Sesioidea Sesioidea is the superfamily currently containing clearwing moths (Sesiidae), castniid moths (Castniidae Castniidae, or castniid moths, is a small family of moths with fewer than 200 species: The majority are Neotropical with some in Australia ...

(Heppner, 1998). They belong to the lower part of the lepidopteran

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English ter ...

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

, but their closest relatives are as yet unknown and it is hoped that

DNA sequencing DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. T ...

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 The Zygaenidae moths are a family of Lepidoptera. The majority of zygaenids are tropical, but they are nevertheless quite well represented in temperate regions. Some of the 1000 or so species are commonly known as burnet or forester moths, oft ...

: 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 Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge of th ...

of the hindwing. In the caterpillar, the placement of the

setae 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. ...

and structure of the

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 is diagnostic, and the

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 ...

l segments I–II are fixed. On the head, there are no

ocelli A simple eye (sometimes called a pigment pit) refers to a form of eye or an optical arrangement composed of a single lens and without an elaborate retina such as occurs in most vertebrates. In this sense "simple eye" is distinct from a multi-l ...

or "chaetosemata" and the

proboscis A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a proboscis is an elong ...

even at the base is un scaled. An "epiphysis" is present on the

foreleg A forelimb or front limb is one of the paired articulated appendages (limbs) attached on the cranial (anterior) end of a terrestrial tetrapod vertebrate's torso. With reference to quadrupeds, the term foreleg or front leg is often used instead ...

(Dugdale et al. (1999), and for more details).

Distribution

The genera ''Urodus'' and ''Spiladarcha'' occur in the

Neotropics The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...

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 The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical reg ...

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 Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant family that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genera worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). They are dicotyledons, and occur m ...

: (

avocado The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family ( Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for ...

=''

Persea ''Persea'' is a genus of about 150 species of evergreen trees belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The best-known member of the genus is the avocado, ''P. americana'', widely cultivated in subtropical regions for its large, edible fruit. ...

''),

Fagaceae The Fagaceae are a family of flowering plants that includes beeches, chestnuts and oaks, and comprises eight genera with about 927 species. Fagaceae in temperate regions are mostly deciduous, whereas in the tropics, many species occur as ever ...

(''

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ...

''),

Sapotaceae 240px, '' Madhuca longifolia'' var. ''latifolia'' in Narsapur, Medak district, India The Sapotaceae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants belonging to the order (biology), order Ericales. The family includes about 800 species of ev ...

(''

Sideroxylon ''Sideroxylon'' is a genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753. They are collectively known as bully trees. The generic name is derived from the Greek words σιδηρος (''sideros''), meaning " iron ...

'') and

Erythroxylaceae Erythroxylaceae (the coca family) is a family of flowering trees and shrubs consisting of 4 genera and 271 species. The four genera are ''Aneulophus'' Benth., ''Erythroxylum'' P.Browne, ''Nectaropetalum'' Engl., and ''Pinacopodium'' Exell & Mend ...

Erythroxylum ''Erythroxylum'' (''Erythroxylon'') is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Erythroxylaceae. Many of the approximately 200 species contain the substance cocaine,Bieri S, Brachet A, Veuthey J, Christen P. Cocaine distribution in wil ...

. ''Urodus parvula'' has also been reared on

Rutaceae The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in BoDD – Botanical Der ...

(''

Citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

'') and

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familia ...

(''

Hibiscus ''Hibiscus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Member species ...

''). ''W. asperipunctella'' has in North America been reared from

quaking aspen ''Populus tremuloides'' is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, mountain or golden aspen, tr ...

(''Populus tremuloides'') (Landry, 1998) and also ''

Salix Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

'' in Europe. The

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