Bear moth

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Bear moth
Black Bear (Arctia villica)

Black Bear ( Arctia villica )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Subfamily : Bear moth
Scientific name
Arctiinae
Leach , 1815
Southern bear
( Cymbalophora pudica )
English bear caterpillar
Wasp mimicry of the genus Pseudosphex
conspicuously colored caterpillars of the Jacob wort bear
Yellow lichen bear ( Eilema complana )
White-spot ram ( Amata phegea )

The bear moth (Arctiinae) are a subfamily of butterflies . They are represented worldwide with around 11,000 species . There are 102 species in Europe , 61 of which are also known from Central Europe . With about 6000 species their main distribution area is the Neotropic , but they are also common worldwide. The differentiation of the individual species from other subfamilies of the Noctuidae is well established, but both the position within the family of the owl butterfly and the systematic classification of the tribe and subtribe have not yet been adequately researched and are therefore usually presented very differently. The moths bear their German name because of the thick and long hairs of their caterpillars .

Characteristics of the moth

Many of the medium-sized to large butterflies are brightly colored, often in a conspicuous warning costume , or imitate the appearance of other butterflies or insect species. The most important feature for delimiting the subfamily is a pair of pheromone glands on the back of the female, which can be turned out and which is located at the end of the abdomen at the protuberance of the ovipositor . These glands can be relatively long and are either branched or unbranched. They are everted by hemolymph pressure and drawn in again by muscles located on the longitudinal axis. Another characteristic of the bear moth are tympanic organs made up of a series of fine grooves or pits on the sides of the metathorax . Both sexes of most species have such tympanic organs, only in some types of the Syntomini ( Euchromiina and Ctenuchina ) they are absent or reduced. Extremely fast muscle contractions deform these structures in such a way that they generate ultrasonic sounds. These muscle contractions are triggered either by touch or by the ultrasound sounds emitted by bats . It is believed that the moths are either camouflaged by the ultrasound sounds emitted or that the bats are irritated.

Point eyes ( Ocelli ) are either present or absent, depending on the species. The antennae are either pinnate, combed or thread-shaped. The proboscis is mostly regressed, but occasionally also normal. The single-segment maxillary palps are very short, the labial palps are short, but in some species they are also long. The front wings have 10 to 12 wing veins and one anal vein (1b), the hind wings have 7 to 9 veins and two anal veins (1a and 1b). The subcostal artery (Sc) of the forewings is usually sapered, the radial arteries 2 to 5 only branch near the wing tip and M2, which is occasionally absent, separates closer to M3 than to M1.

Several types of syntomini can secrete foul-smelling substances with glands on the prothorax , which is often combined with a conspicuous warning sign. Such a warning can also be found in other tribes and mostly alludes to the toxicity of the animals, whose caterpillars sometimes feed on poisonous plants. Some species of bear moth imitate defensive insects with their appearance, such as some species of Ctenuchini , which can imitate wasps almost perfectly.

Characteristics of the caterpillars

The caterpillars of the bear moth have three to five easily recognizable point warts on the meso- and metathorax . The abdomen also has point warts, which, like the belly legs, are heavily bristled. The caterpillars have developed all four pairs of belly legs and the follower . The animals use their hair as a mechanical defense against predators, which make it difficult to get hold of their prey.

Way of life

The eggs of the bear moth are of the upright type, usually round and have a net-like surface structure. They are deposited by the females in groups, less often individually. The caterpillars sit openly on the food plants and occasionally live gregariously in webs spun together. The entire spectrum of food plants is very large and includes a wide variety of grasses, herbaceous plants, trees and bushes as well as epiphytic algae and lichens . Many species of caterpillars are poisonous because they feed on poisonous plants such as ragweeds ( Senecio ), nightshade family (Solanaceae) or predatory leaf family (Boraginaceae), which many species draw attention to with colorful rows of dots or stripes. The plants contain poisonous substances such as B. pyrrolizidine alkaloids or cardenolides . These substances cannot harm the caterpillars because they neutralize them with the body's own histamine and acetylcholine . They can store the poisons so that the moths become inedible for predators. The pupae are stocky and are occasionally lively in color. The cremaster is either poorly developed or completely absent.

Systematics

The former independent family (within the Noctuoidea) is now understood as the subfamily of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae). It is divided into three tribes. Mostly only the European species are listed:

supporting documents

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Arctiinae. Fauna Europaea, accessed February 21, 2011 .
  2. ↑ Arctiidae. Lepiforum eV, accessed on February 21, 2011 .
  3. ^ J. Donald Lafontaine and Michael Fibiger: Revised higher classification of the Noctuoidea (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, 138 (5): 610-635, Ottawa 2006 ISSN  0008-347X

literature

  • NP Kristensen: Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies, 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbuch der Zoologie 4 (35) S. 389ff, Walter de Gruyter. Berlin, New York 2003, ISBN 3-11-015704-7
  • Malcolm J. Scoble: The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity. Pp. 333ff Oxford University Press 1995, ISBN 978-0-19-854952-9

Web links

Commons : Bear Moth  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files