Real sack carriers

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Real sack carriers
Imago from the genus Ptilocephala

Imago from the genus Ptilocephala

Systematics
Superclass : Six-footed (Hexapoda)
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Subclass : Flying insects (Pterygota)
Superordinate : New winged wing (Neoptera)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Real sack carriers
Scientific name
Psychidae
Boisduval , 1828

The real sack bearers (Psychidae) are a family of butterflies .

distribution

So far, over 1350 species are known worldwide, with 350 species occurring in Australia alone . Around 90 species have been identified in German-speaking countries.

features

Psychids are small to medium-sized adults whose mouth parts have receded significantly. In contrast to the males, the females are often wingless. The males are mostly inconspicuous, gloomy and relatively thinly scaled, a wing mark is missing or is only weakly developed. Their antennae are well developed and double combed.

The caterpillars have biting mouthparts and well-developed breast bones, but their belly bones are often regressed.

biology

The caterpillars spend most of their development in a sack that is spun together from plant debris or sand particles. These sacks are similar to those of the caddis fly larvae. Often the construction of the quiver and the materials used are specific to one species.

Psychid sack probably from Psyche casta ; it can be seen that the front end of the sack is spun with the reed leaf.

The caterpillars move with the sack and feed on their forage plants out of it. All moulting and pupation take place in the sack. This is constantly expanded as the larva increases in size. Before pupation, the front end of the sack is spun with a mat, then the caterpillar turns. To hatch, the butterfly can then push itself out of the rear opening of the sack.

Hibernation takes place in the larval stage, with some species developing over several years.

After hatching, the wingless females often sit on the sack and are mated by the approaching males. Sex pheromones play an important role in finding a partner .

The lifespan of the moths is short, the males only survive a few hours, the females only a few days. For this reason alone, the hatching of the sexes must be synchronized to ensure successful mating. For some species, the time of hatching is in the early morning hours (around 5 a.m.).

Many species are polyphagous, but a number of species have specialized in one forage plant species.

The females of some species remain maggot-shaped, are legless and their abdomen remains in the sac. Parthenogenesis is known of some species .

Taxonomy

The following list contains the species identified in the German-speaking area.

Family Psychidae

Subfamily Naryciinae

Subfamily Taleporiinae

Subfamily Typhoniinae

Subfamily Psychinae

Subfamily Epichnopteryginae

Subfamily Oiketicinae

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Psychidae (real bag carriers) in Central Europe. Lepiforum e. V .: Determination aid of the Lepiforum for the butterfly species found in Germany, Austria and Switzerland., Accessed on January 14, 2008 .

literature

  • Günter Ebert, Thomas Esche, Rene Herrmann, Axel Hofmann, Hans Georg Lussi, Ingo Nikusch, Wolfgang Speidel, Axel Steiner, Jürgen Thiele: The Butterflies of Baden-Württemberg, Volume 3, Moths I (root borer (Hepialidae), wood borer (Cossidae), ram (Zygaenidae), snail moth (Limacodidae), sack bearer (Psychidae), window stain (Thyrididae)), Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1993. ISBN 3-8001-3472-1
  • SAUTER & HÄTTENSCHWILER (2004): On the system of the palaearctic psychidae. Part 3: Identification key for the bags. - Nota lepidopterologica 27 (1): 59–69 (PDF file; 204 kB)
  • Thomas Sobczyk (2011): Psychidae. World Catalog of Insects 10. Apollo Books Stenstrup, 467 pages. ISBN 978-87-88757-98-9

Web links

Commons : Bag carrier  - collection of images, videos and audio files