The Zygaenidae

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

s are a family of

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

. The majority of zygaenids are

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

, 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 antennae. 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 (formerly known as prussic acid) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula, formula HCN and structural formula . It is a highly toxic and flammable liquid that boiling, boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is ...

(HCN) throughout all stages of their life cycle. Unlike most insects with such toxins, they obtain

glucosides A glucoside is a glycoside that is chemically derived from glucose. Glucosides are common in plants, but rare in animals. Glucose is produced when a glucoside is Hydrolysis, hydrolysed by purely chemical means, or decomposed by fermentation (bio ...

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. In the simples ...

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 in biology, advertising by an animal, whether terrestrial or marine, to potential predation, predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defenses which make the pr ...

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

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

) deposits in Céreste,

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (sometimes abbreviated as AHP; ; ; ), formerly until 1970 known as Basses-Alpes (, ), is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the sou ...

, 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 Biological pigment, pigments, although some structural coloration occu ...

from the Eocene (~47 Ma) shales of the

Messel Pit The Messel Formation is a Formation (geology), geologic formation in Hesse, central Germany, dating back to the Eocene Epoch (geology), epoch (about 47 Ma). Its geographic range is restricted to the Messel pit. There it unconformably overlie ...

, 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 is a term used for a taxonomy (biology), 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, uncertainty ...

'' include: * '' Acoloithus'' * '' Harrisina'' * '' Pyromorpha'' * '' Reissita'' * '' Seryda'' * '' Tetraclonia'' * '' Triprocris'' 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 (''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, Céreste,

, France)

References

External links

List of Zygaenidae Types
p. 8-11 ( Museum Witt 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