Limacodidae

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Limacodidae
Apoda limacodes01.jpg
The festoon, Apoda limacodes
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Zygaenoidea
Family: Limacodidae
Subfamilies

Chrysopolominae
Limacodinae
For full list of genera, see Taxonomy of Limacodidae.

Contents

Diversity
About 400 genera,
1800 species
Synonyms

The Limacodidae or Eucleidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Zygaenoidea or the Cossoidea; [2] the placement is in dispute. They are often called slug moths because their caterpillars bear a distinct resemblance to slugs. [3] They are also called cup moths because of the shape of their cocoons. [3]

The larvae are often liberally covered in protective stinging hairs, and are mostly tropical, but occur worldwide, with about 1800 described species and probably many more as yet undescribed species.

Description

Moths

They are small, hairy moths, with reduced or absent mouthparts and fringed wings. They often perch with their abdomens sticking out at 90° from their thoraces and wings. North American moths are mostly cryptic browns, sometimes marked with white or green, but the hag moth mimics bees. [4]

Pupae

The final instar constructs a silk cocoon and hardens it with calcium oxalate excreted from its Malpighian tubules. Cocoons have a circular escape hatch, formed from a line of weakness in the silk matrix. It is forced open just prior to emergence of the adult. [5]

Caterpillars

The larvae are typically very flattened, and instead of prolegs, they have suckers. [4] The thoracic legs are reduced, but always present, and they move by rolling waves rather than walking with individual prolegs. They even use a lubricant, a kind of liquefied silk, to move. [5]

Larvae might be confused with the similarly flattened larvae of lycaenid butterflies, but those caterpillars have prolegs, are always longer than they are wide, and are always densely covered in short or long setae (hair-like bristles). The head is extended during feeding in the lycaenids, but remains covered in the Limacodidae.

Many limacodid larvae are green and fairly smooth (e.g. yellow-shouldered slug), but others have tubercles with urticating hairs and may have bright warning colours. The sting can be quite potent, [6] causing severe pain.

The larval head is concealed under folds. [2] First-instars skeletonise the leaf (avoiding small veins and eating mostly one surface), but later instars eat the whole leaf, usually from the underside. [4] Many species seem to feed on several genera of host plants. [2]

Limacodidae larvae in temperate forests of eastern North America prefer glabrous leaves, presumably because the trichomes of pubescent leaves interfere with their movement. [7]

Eggs

Eggs are flattened and thin. They are highly transparent and the larva can be seen developing inside. [4] They may be laid singly or in clusters on leaves.

Ecological importance

Limacodidae (e.g. Latoia viridissima , Parasa lepida , Penthocrates meyrick , Aarodia nana ) have caused serious defoliation of palms. [2]

Notable species

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pupa</span> Life stage of some insects undergoing transformation

A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages thereof being egg, larva, pupa, and imago. The processes of entering and completing the pupal stage are controlled by the insect's hormones, especially juvenile hormone, prothoracicotropic hormone, and ecdysone. The act of becoming a pupa is called pupation, and the act of emerging from the pupal case is called eclosion or emergence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luna moth</span> Species of insect

The luna moth, also called the American moon moth, is a Nearctic moth in the family Saturniidae, subfamily Saturniinae, a group commonly named the giant silk moths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microlepidoptera</span> Grouping of moths

Microlepidoptera (micromoths) is an artificial grouping of moth families, commonly known as the "smaller moths". These generally have wingspans of under 20 mm, so are harder to identify by external phenotypic markings than macrolepidoptera. They present some lifestyles that the larger Lepidoptera do not have, but this is not an identifying mark. Some hobbyists further divide this group into separate groups, such as leaf miners or rollers, stem or root borers, and then usually follow the more rigorous scientific taxonomy of lepidopterans. Efforts to stabilize the term have usually proven inadequate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flannel moth</span> Family of moths

The flannel moths or crinkled flannel moths are a family of insects. They occur in North America and the New World tropics.

<i>Megalopyge opercularis</i> Venomous species of moth, "puss caterpillar"

Megalopyge opercularis is a moth of the family Megalopygidae. It has numerous common names, including southern flannel moth for its adult form, and puss caterpillar, asp, Italian asp, fire caterpillar, woolly slug, opossum bug, puss moth, tree asp, or asp caterpillar.

<i>Phobetron pithecium</i> Species of moth

Phobetron pithecium, the hag moth, is a moth of the family Limacodidae. Its larva is known as the monkey slug.

<i>Orgyia antiqua</i> Species of moth

Orgyia antiqua, the rusty tussock moth or vapourer, is a moth in the family Erebidae.

<i>Lithacodes fasciola</i> Species of moth

Lithacodes fasciola, the yellow-shouldered slug or ochre-winged hag moth, is a moth of the family Limacodidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spiny oak slug</span> Larval form of a species of moth

The spiny oak slug is the larval form (caterpillar) of a moth in the family Limacodidae.

<i>Lophocampa caryae</i> Species of moth

Lophocampa caryae, the hickory tiger moth, hickory tussock moth, or hickory halisidota, is a moth in the family Erebidae and the tribe Arctiini, the tiger moths. The species is widely distributed in the eastern half of North America. In other species in this family, the caterpillars acquire chemical defenses from their host plants, so they are potentially toxic or unpalatable, but despite anecdotal claims that this species may also be venomous, no venom has yet been isolated or identified; adverse reactions are characterized as contact dermatitis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saddleback caterpillar</span> Larva of an eastern North American moth

The saddleback caterpillar is the larva of a species of moth native to eastern North America. It is also found in Mexico. The species belongs to the family of slug caterpillars, Limacodidae.

<i>Loxura atymnus</i> Species of butterfly

Loxura atymnus, the yamfly, is a species of lycaenid or blue butterfly found in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">External morphology of Lepidoptera</span> External features of butterflies and moths

The external morphology of Lepidoptera is the physiological structure of the bodies of insects belonging to the order Lepidoptera, also known as butterflies and moths. Lepidoptera are distinguished from other orders by the presence of scales on the external parts of the body and appendages, especially the wings. Butterflies and moths vary in size from microlepidoptera only a few millimetres long, to a wingspan of many inches such as the Atlas moth. Comprising over 160,000 described species, the Lepidoptera possess variations of the basic body structure which has evolved to gain advantages in adaptation and distribution.

<i>Arsenura armida</i> Species of moth

Arsenura armida, the giant silk moth, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. It is found mainly in South and Central America, from Mexico to Bolivia, and Ecuador to south-eastern Brazil. It was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1779.

<i>Parasa lepida</i> Species of moth

Parasa lepida, the nettle caterpillar or blue-striped nettle grub, is a moth of the family Limacodidae that was described by Pieter Cramer in 1799. It is a native minor pest found in the Indo-Malayan region, including India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. It is an introduced pest to urban trees in western Japan.

<i>Philocryptica</i> Monotypic genus of tortrix moths

Philocryptica is a monotypic genus of moths belonging to the subfamily Tortricinae of the family Tortricidae. It contains only one species, Philocryptica polypodii, the leather-leaf star-miner, which is endemic to New Zealand. This species has been recorded in both the North Island and the South Island, as far south as Banks Peninsula. The preferred habitat of this species is native forest where the species' larval host is present. The larvae feed on Pyrrosia eleagnifolia, mining the host plant leaves. P. polypodii pupates within the final blotch-mine. Adults are on the wing in November and December.

<i>Stigmella cypracma</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

Stigmella cypracma is a species of moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the North and South Islands. The larvae of this species are leaf miners and pupate within their mines. The larval host species is Brachyglottis repanda. Adult moths are on the wing in February and September to November. This species has two generations per year.

The Wattle Cup Caterpillar is a moth of the family Limacodidae. It is widespread in northern Australia, south to Geraldton, Alice Springs and Brisbane.

<i>Andesobia jelskii</i> Species of moth

Andesobia jelskii is a species of moth of the subfamily Arctiinae first described by Charles Oberthür in 1881. It is found in the Department of Junín in Peru.

<i>Isochaetes beutenmuelleri</i> Species of moth

Isochaetes beutenmuelleri, the spun glass slug moth, is a moth of the family Limacodidae. It is found in the United States from New York to Florida and west to Colorado and Texas. The name comes from the appearance of their pupal stage, when they are very nearly transparent, and covered in spiny hairs containing poison that can cause dermatitis, as is not uncommon for other so-called stinging caterpillars.

References

  1. Paclt, Jiří (2008). "On the triple usage of the family name Apodidae in zoology (Aves; Crustacea; Insecta)". Senckenbergiana Biologica. 88 (1): 49–52.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Scoble, M.J. (1992). The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity. Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780198540311
  3. 1 2 "New Species of Yellow Slug Moth Found in China". Scientific Computing. Advantage Business Media. 4 June 2013. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Wagner, D.L. (2005). Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press. ISBN   9780691121437
  5. 1 2 Epstein, M.E. (1996). "Revision and phylogeny of the limacodid-group families, with evolutionary studies on slug caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Zygaenoidea)." Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. No. 582. ISSN 0081-0282
  6. Marshall, S.A. (2006). Insects: Their natural history and diversity. Firefly Books. ISBN   9781552979006
  7. Lill, J.T., Marquis, R.J., Forkner, R.E., Le Corff, J., Holmberg, N., & Barber, N.A. (2006). "Leaf pubescent affects distribution and abundance of generalist slug caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae)." Environmental Entomology 35(3): 797–806. ISSN 0046-225X