Hemileucinae
| Hemileucinae | ||||||||||||
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Automeris io , female above, male below |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hemileucinae | ||||||||||||
| Grote & Robinson , 1866 |
The Hemileucinae are a subfamily of the peacock moth (Saturniidae). The group includes about 630 species in 51 genera. The subfamily is common in the New World, with the vast majority of the species being native to south of the United States of America.
features
The moths of this subfamily are small to medium-sized. Their antennae are pinnate or double-pinnate.
The hind wings, especially those found in the United States of America, tend to be more vividly colored than the forewings. The hind wings of some genera also have large discal spots that serve as eye spots . The fore wings resemble dead leaves or are at least more dull in color than the hind wings and the body. The latter is ringed black and yellow or red in some species.
On the eggs you can clearly see the micropyle , which turns dark in fertilized eggs. The caterpillars carry rows of branched, prickly appendages (scoli) in all stages of development. Many of these spines have stinging hairs , which have a stinging effect on the skin when touched.
Occurrence
The subfamily is common in the two Americas, with only 30 species in three genera ( Coloradia , Hemileuca and Automeris ) being distributed north of Mexico . There they are found mainly in the west and southwest of North America. There is historical evidence of a fourth genus, Hylesia , from Arizona, but due to a lack of confirmation in recent decades, it is considered dubious.
Way of life
If the imagines interfere, they bend the abdomen and perform pulsating movements as well Hymenoptera do. When the moths sit down to rest, they rock the thorax back and forth, pull the wings inward to form a roof over the body and hide their antennae under the wings. This behavior is believed to be unique within the peacock moth family. This resting position means that the animals are even better camouflaged in combination with their color.
The females lay their eggs in normal or ring-shaped clutches. Initially, the caterpillars live socially. Pupation takes place either in a simple cocoon between leaves or in the ground.
Systematics
The Natural History Museum's Global Lepidoptera Names Index lists the following genera of the subfamily:
Tribe Hemileucini
- Adetomeris Michener, 1949
- Ancistrota Huebner, 1819
- Automerella Michener, 1949
- Automerina Michener, 1949
- Automeris Huebner, 1819
- Automeropsis Lemaire, 1969
- Callodirphia Michener, 1949
- Catacantha Bouvier, 1930
- Catharisa Jordan, 1911
- Cerodirphia Michener, 1949
- Cinommata Butler, 1882
- Coloradia Blake, 1863
- Dirphia Huebner, 1819
- Erythromeris Lemaire, 1969
- Eubergia Bouvier, 1929
- Eubergioides Michener, 1949
- Gamelia Huebner, 1819
- Gamelioides Lemaire, 1988
- Hemileuca Walker, 1855
- Hirpida Draudt, 1929
- Hylesia Huebner, 1820
- Hylesiopsis Bouvier, 1929
- Hyperchiria Huebner, 1819
- Hypermerina Lemaire, 1969
- Leucanella Lemaire, 1969
- Lonomia Walker, 1855
- Meroleuca Packard, 1904
- Molippa Walker, 1855
- Ormiscodes Blanchard, 1852
- Parancistrota Bouvier, 1933
- Periga Walker, 1855
- Prohylesia Draudt, 1929
- Pseudautomeris Lemaire, 1967
- Travassosula Michener, 1949
Tribe Polythysanini
- Polythysana Walker, 1855
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g P. M. Tuskes, JP Tuttle, MM Collins: The Wild Silkmoths of North America. A Natural History of the Saturniidae of the United States and Canada . Ed .: George C. Eickwort. 1st edition. Cornell University Press, Ithaca / London 1996, ISBN 0-8014-3130-1 , pp. 95 (English).
- ↑ a b c Niels P. Kristensen: Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies . In: Maximilian Fischer (Ed.): Handbook of Zoology . 1st edition. tape 4 - Arthropoda: Insecta , volume 35. de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1998, ISBN 3-11-015704-7 , p. 340 (English).
- ↑ Butterflies and Moths of the World - Generic Names and their Type-species - Hemileucinae ( Memento of the original from November 3, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
literature
- Niels P. Kristensen: Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies . In: Maximilian Fischer (Ed.): Handbook of Zoology . 1st edition. tape 4 - Arthropoda: Insecta , volume 35. de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1998, ISBN 3-11-015704-7 (English).
- PM Tuskes, JP Tuttle, MM Collins: The Wild Silkmoths of North America. A Natural History of the Saturniidae of the United States and Canada . Ed .: George C. Eickwort. 1st edition. Cornell University Press, Ithaca / London 1996, ISBN 0-8014-3130-1 (English).
