Castniidae
| Castniidae | ||||||||||
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Athis inca |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Castniidae | ||||||||||
| Boisduval , 1828 |
The Castniidae are a family of butterflies (Lepidoptera). They occur with 200 species mainly in the Neotropic ( South and parts of Central America ), Australia and Southeast Asia . One species, Paysandisia archon , has been introduced into Europe.
description
The moths of this family reach a wingspan of 20 to 110 millimeters. They are probably most closely related to the glass winged birds (Sesiidae) and wood borer (Cossidae). They are similar to the latter, but there are also species that imitate owl butterflies , noble butterflies , swarmers and cubes . The front wings of the moths are usually patterned in gray, brown or black tones, but in some species parts are colored or transparent. The hind wings of most species are brightly colored or colored with brightly colored bands. Their antennae are club-shaped. Some species show a sexual dimorphism , but usually both sexes are colored the same. The females usually have broader colored bands on the hind wings.
Way of life
They usually only fly for a short time (approx. 1 hour), mostly during the day, but some species also fly at dusk, at sunrise or sunset. They can fly very quickly and confuse predators by appearing to disappear when they sit down, as their brightly colored wings are then hidden under the well-camouflaged fore wings. Little is known about their feeding behavior, but different species have been seen sucking nectar on orchids .
development
The eggs are light or reddish in color and usually have five longitudinal ribs. The larvae have a dark brown or coffee brown head and initially eat young leaves and shoots, the older ones drill into the roots and in the trunk of monocot plants, especially bromeliads and palms . They pupate in a cocoon in the caterpillars' feeding tunnel, on the petioles or on the trunk. The pupae are light or red-brown and, like the Cossidae, have thorn ridges on the back of the abdominal segments, with the help of which they work their way out of the cocoon before the butterfly hatches.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ^ Castniidae at Fauna Europaea. Retrieved February 25, 2011
- ↑ a b c Familia Castniidae. Miller, JY, accessed September 16, 2006 .
