The Zygaenidae

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 are a family of

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 ...

. The majority of zygaenids are

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

, 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, often qualified by the number of spots, although other families also have 'foresters'. They are also sometimes called smoky moths. All 43 species of Australian zygaenids are commonly known as foresters and belong to the tribe Artonini. The only nonendemic species in Australia is '' Palmartona catoxantha'', a Southeast Asian pest species which is believed to be already present in Australia or likely to arrive soon.Tarmann, G.M. "Zygaenid moths of Australia. A revision of the Australian Zygaenidae".

Description

Larvae

Larvae are stout and may be flattened. A fleshy extension of the thorax covers the head. Most feed on herbaceous plants, but some are tree feeders. Larvae in two subfamilies, Chalcosiinae and Zygaeninae, have cavities in which they store the cyanide, and can excrete it as defensive droplets.Niehuis, O., Yen, S.H., Naumann, C.M. & Misof, B. (2006). "Higher phylogeny of zygaenid moths (Insecta: Lepidoptera) inferred from nuclear and mitochondrial sequence data and the evolution of larval cuticular cavities for chemical defence." ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 39(3): 812-829.

Aposematism in adults

Zygaenid moths are typically day flying with a slow, fluttering flight, and with rather clubbed

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 ...

e. They generally have a metallic sheen and often prominent spots of red or yellow. The bright colours are a warning to predators that the moths are distasteful - they contain

hydrogen cyanide Hydrogen cyanide, sometimes called prussic acid, is a chemical compound with the formula HCN and structure . It is a colorless, extremely poisonous, and flammable liquid that boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is produced on a ...

(HCN) throughout all stages of their life cycle. Unlike most insects with such toxins, they obtain glucosides from the plants they utilize so that HCN can be used as a defence. However, they are capable of making HCN themselves, and when in an environment poor in cyanide-producing plants, synthesize it themselves. They form

mimicry In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. Often, mimicry f ...

complexes based on these toxins.Naumann, C.M., Tarmann, G.M. & Tremewan, W.G. (1999). ''The Western Palaearctic Zygaenidae''. Apollo Books. However, while the overall picture is of genuine

aposematism Aposematism is the advertising by an animal to potential predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defences which make the prey difficult to kill and eat, such as toxicity, venom, foul taste ...

– the insects are both conspicuously coloured and toxic, containing cyanogenic glucosides – a study by Emmanuelle Briolat and colleagues including Martin Stevens found no evidence of a quantitative relationship between the visual signals of different species of Zygaenidae and their toxicity.

Evolution

The fossil species ''

Neurosymploca? oligocenica ''Neurosymploca? oligocenica'' is an extinct species of moth in the family Zygaenidae, and possibly in the modern genus ''Neurosymploca''. The species is known from Early Oligocene, Rupelian stage, lake deposits near the commune of Céreste in ...

'', belonging to the subfamily Zygaeninae, is known from Lower Stampian (Early

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but t ...

) deposits in

Céreste Céreste (; Occitan: ''Ceirèsta'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. It is known for its rich fossil beds in fine layers of "Calcaire de Campagne Calavon" limestone, which are now protected by the ...

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or sometimes abbreviated as AHP (; oc, Aups d'Auta Provença; ) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the south, Vaucluse to the w ...

, France. Lepidopterans with preserved

structural coloration Structural coloration in animals, and a few plants, is the production of colour by microscopically structured surfaces fine enough to interfere with visible light instead of pigments, although some structural coloration occurs in combination wi ...

from the Eocene (~47 Ma) shales of the

Messel Pit The Messel pit (german: Grube Messel) is a disused quarry near the village of Messel (Landkreis Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hesse) about southeast of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Bituminous shale was mined there. Because of its abundance of well-preserved ...

, Germany, are suggested to be zygaenids, and more specifically procridines due to wing venation patterns.

Economic importance

The grapeleaf skeletonizer can be a problem in vineyards, feeding on foliage and can also be found feeding on Virginia creeper.

Selected taxa

Genera ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...

'' include: * ''

Acoloithus ''Acoloithus'' is a genus of 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 approximate ...

'' * '' Harrisina'' * '' Pyromorpha'' * '' Reissita'' * '' Seryda'' * ''

Tetraclonia ''Tetraclonia'' is a genus of moths of the family 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 ...

'' * ''

Triprocris ''Triprocris'' is a genus of moths of the family 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 s ...

'' Pest species include: * Almond-tree leaf skeletonizer moth (''Aglaope infausta'') * Vine bud moth (''Theresimima ampellophaga'') * Grapeleaf skeletonizer (''Harrisina americana'') South European species: * '' Zygaena fausta'' UK species: * Scarce forester (''Jordanita globulariae'') * Cistus forester (''Adscita geryon'') * Green forester (''Adscita statices'') * Scotch burnet (''Zygaena exulans'') * Slender Scotch burnet (''Zygaena loti'') * New Forest burnet (''Zygaena viciae'') *

Six-spot burnet The six-spot burnet (''Zygaena filipendulae'') is a day-flying moth of the family Zygaenidae. Subspecies *''Z. f. altapyrenaica'' Le Charles, 1950 *''Z. f. arctica'' Schneider, 1880 *''Z. f. balcanirosea'' Holik, 1943 *''Z. f. campaniae'' Re ...

(''Zygaena filipendulae'') * Five-spot burnet (''Zygaena trifolii'') * Narrow-bordered five-spot burnet (''Zygaena lonicerae'') * Transparent burnet (''Zygaena purpuralis'') African species: * Fire grid burnet (''Arniocera erythopyga'') Extinct species: * ''Neurosymploca? oligocenica'' Fernández-Rubio & Nel, 2000 ( Lower Stampian,

, France)

References

External links

List of Zygaenidae Types
p. 8-11 (

Museum Witt The Museum Witt Munich (MWM) is a department of the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology. It is located in Munich, Germany, and has the world's leading collection of moths. Collection The museum was established in 1980 by Thomas J. Witt. Hi ...

München).
Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa - Zygaenidae
- many pictures of species *
Science News: Zygaenidae "make cyanide using the exact same cellular machinery as their host plants"

Images of Zygaenidae species in New Zealand
{{Authority control Moth families