28-457: Notodontidae is a family of moths with approximately 3,800 known species. The family was described by James Francis Stephens in 1829. Moths of this family are found in all parts of the world, but they are most concentrated in tropical areas, especially in the New World (Miller, 1992). Species of this family tend to be heavy-bodied and long-winged, the wings held folded across the back of
56-398: A mixture of formic acid, acetic acid and other compounds which they spray accurately at their attacker (Attygalle et al., 1993). The larvae of some species are truly extraordinary: That of the puss moth has a fearsome-looking "face" and two long whip-like "tails" (actually highly modified prolegs ) and it rears both ends in a threatening display when disturbed. The larva of the lobster moth
84-769: Is a significant food resource in southern Africa . Another saturniid used as food is the cavorting emperor ( Usta terpsichore ). In one country alone, Congo , more than 30 species of moth larvae are harvested. Some are sold not only in the local village markets, but are shipped by the ton from one country to another. Nocturnal insectivores often feed on moths; these include some bats , some species of owls and other species of birds . Moths also are eaten by some species of lizards , amphibians , cats , dogs , rodents , and some bears . Moth larvae are vulnerable to being parasitized by Ichneumonidae . Baculoviruses are parasite double-stranded DNA insect viruses that are used mostly as biological control agents. They are members of
112-540: Is considered more effective, but there are concerns over its effects on human health. Despite being commonly thought to be undertaken by all moths, only the larvae of several moth species eat animal fibres, creating holes in articles of clothing, in particular those made of wool. Most species do not eat fabrics, and some moth adults do not even eat at all. Some, like the Luna , Polyphemus , Atlas , Promethea , cecropia , and other large moths do not have mouth parts. This
140-400: Is currently unknown. One hypothesis is called celestial or transverse orientation. By maintaining a constant angular relationship to a bright celestial light, such as the moon, they can fly in a straight line. Celestial objects are so far away that, even after travelling great distances, the change in angle between the moth and the light source is negligible; further, the moon will always be in
168-598: Is even more remarkable, resembling a crustacean . Others, such as Cerura vinula mimic the edge of a leaf that has been damaged and is turning brown (they rest and feed along the edge of the leaf). Most are solitary feeders, but some are gregarious, and this is most common in the processionary moths, Thaumetopoeinae. They feed on trees and shrubs , except in the subfamily Dioptinae, which feed on herbaceous plants (Miller, 1992). The larvae typically feed on only one family of trees, but closely related species will feed on distantly related plants; for example different members of
196-412: Is frequently vestigial, or may be long, with glands that can be everted. Some larvae undergo shape modification and colour changes with each instar (Weller, 1992). Notodontid larvae are notable for their often bizarre shapes, and some have chemical defences (cyanic acid, formic acid, and other ketones: Blum, 1981) not commonly found in other Lepidoptera (Weller 1992). Schizura unicornis and S. badia have
224-470: Is possible because they live off the food stores from when they were a caterpillar, and only live a short time as an adult (roughly a week for some species). Many species of adult moths do however eat: for instance, many will drink nectar . Items of fabric infested by clothes moth larvae may be treated by freezing them for several days at a temperature below −8 °C (18 °F). Some moths are farmed for their economic value. The most notable of these
252-413: Is the silkworm , the larva of the domesticated moth Bombyx mori . It is farmed for the silk with which it builds its cocoon . As of 2002 , the silk industry produces more than 130 million kilograms of raw silk, worth about 250 million U.S. dollars , each year. Not all silk is produced by Bombyx mori . There are several species of Saturniidae that also are farmed for their silk, such as
280-592: The Baculoviridae , a family that is restricted to insects. Most baculovirus isolates have been obtained from insects, in particular from Lepidoptera. There is evidence that ultrasound in the range emitted by bats causes flying moths to make evasive maneuvers. Ultrasonic frequencies trigger a reflex action in the noctuid moth that causes it to drop a few centimeters or inches in its flight to evade attack, and tiger moths can emit clicks to foil bats' echolocation. The fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis infects
308-754: The Old English maða meaning ' maggot ' or from the root of midge which until the 16th century was used mostly to indicate the larva , usually in reference to devouring clothes. Moth larvae, or caterpillars , make cocoons from which they emerge as fully grown moths with wings. Some moth caterpillars dig holes in the ground, where they live until they are ready to turn into adult moths. Moths evolved long before butterflies; moth fossils have been found that may be 190 million years old. Both types of Lepidoptera are thought to have co-evolved with flowering plants , mainly because most modern species, both as adults and larvae, feed on flowering plants. One of
SECTION 10
#1732797468553336-631: The ailanthus moth ( Samia cynthia group of species), the Chinese oak silkmoth ( Antheraea pernyi ), the Assam silkmoth ( Antheraea assamensis ), and the Japanese silk moth ( Antheraea yamamai ). The larvae of many species are used as food , particularly in Africa, where they are an important source of nutrition. The mopane worm, the caterpillar of Gonimbrasia belina , from the family Saturniidae,
364-494: The beech caterpillar, ( Quadricalcarifera punctatella ), variable oakleaf caterpillar ( Lochmaeus manteo ), Epicerura pergisea , yellownecked caterpillars ( Datana ministra ), and walnut caterpillar ( Datana integerrima ), among others. Formerly, the genus Oenosandra was placed in this family and the subfamily Thaumetopoeinae was treated at independent family rank, however they have now been reclassified. Recent molecular research has stabilized and consolidated most of
392-449: The body at rest. They rarely display any bright colours, usually being mainly grey or brown, with the exception of the subfamily Dioptinae (Grimaldi and Engel, 2005). These features mean they rather resemble Noctuidae although the families are not closely related. The adults do not feed. Many species have a tuft of hair on the trailing edge of the forewing which protrudes upwards at rest. This gives them their scientific name "back tooth" and
420-482: The common name of prominents . The common names of some other species reflect their hairiness, such as puss moth and the group commonly known as kittens ( Furcula spp.), so named as they resemble small versions of the puss moth. The egg is hemispherical or almost spherical, and lacks any ribs (Scoble, 1995). The caterpillars are usually hairless, but may have tubercules, spines, or humps (Scoble 1995), and often rest with both ends raised. The last set of prolegs
448-416: The constituent subfamily and tribal rank taxa. Moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies . They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (suborder Rhopalocera) and neither subordinate taxon is used in modern classifications. Moths make up the vast majority of
476-440: The earliest known species that is thought to be an ancestor of moths is Archaeolepis mane . Its fossil fragments show scaled wings that are similar to caddisflies in their veining. Some moths, particularly their caterpillars , can be major agricultural pests in many parts of the world. Examples include corn borers and bollworms . The caterpillar of the spongy moth ( Lymantria dispar ) causes severe damage to forests in
504-750: The end of their antennae. Moth antennae are usually feathery with no ball on the end. The divisions are named by this principle: "club-antennae" (Rhopalocera) or "varied-antennae" (Heterocera). Lepidoptera first evolved during the Carboniferous period, but only evolved their characteristic proboscis alongside the rise of angiosperms in the Cretaceous period. The modern English word moth comes from Old English moððe ( cf. Northumbrian mohðe ) from Common Germanic (compare Old Norse motti , Dutch mot , and German Motte all meaning 'moth'). Its origins are possibly related to
532-733: The families Erebidae and Sphingidae , may be the key pollinators for some flowering plants in the Himalayan ecosystem. The roles of moths as pollinators have been studied less frequently than those of diurnal pollinators, but recent studies have established that moths are important, but often overlooked, nocturnal pollinators of a wide range of plants. Some researchers say it is likely that many plants thought to be dependent on bees for pollination also rely on moths, which have historically been less observed because they pollinate mainly at night. Moths frequently appear to circle artificial lights. The reason for this behavior (positive phototaxis )
560-515: The family Tineidae are commonly regarded as pests because their larvae eat fabric such as clothes and blankets made from natural proteinaceous fibers such as wool or silk . They are less likely to eat mixed materials containing some artificial fibers. There are some reports that they may be repelled by the scent of wood from juniper and cedar , by lavender , or by other natural oils; however, many consider this unlikely to prevent infestation. Naphthalene (the chemical used in mothballs )
588-401: The genus Datana feed on Juglandaceae , Hamamelidaceae , Ericaceae and Anacardiaceae (Miller 1992). Adults have tympanal organs on the metathorax that opens towards the top, and the tibial spurs have serrated edges (Scoble, 1995). Mouthparts vary from well-developed to absent. The Dioptinae, which was formerly considered a separate family, are colourful and fly by day, while the rest of
SECTION 20
#1732797468553616-644: The larvae of many different species of moths. Moths, like butterflies, bees and other more popularly recognized pollinating insects, serve an essential role as pollinators for many flowering plants, including species that bees do not visit. Nocturnal moths fly from flower to flower to feed on nectar during the night much as their diurnal relatives do during the day. A study conducted in the UK found moths dusted with pollen from 47 different plant species, including seven species largely ignored by bees. Some studies indicate that certain species of moths, such as those belonging to
644-477: The light source. Studies have found that light pollution caused by increasing use of artificial lights has either led to a severe decline in moth population in some parts of the world or has severely disrupted nocturnal pollination. [REDACTED] Quotations related to Moths at Wikiquote Oenosandra Oenosandra is a monotypic moth genus in the family Oenosandridae . Its only species, Oenosandra boisduvalii , or Boisduval's autumn moth ,
672-492: The northeastern United States, where it is an invasive species . In temperate climates, the codling moth causes extensive damage, especially to fruit farms. In tropical and subtropical climates, the diamondback moth ( Plutella xylostella ) is perhaps the most serious pest of brassicaceous crops. Also in sub-Saharan Africa , the African sugarcane borer is a major pest of sugarcane, maize , and sorghum . Several moths in
700-404: The notodontids are nocturnal. Some of these Dioptinae have non-functional tympanal hearing organs which are normally defensive against bats (Fullard et al., 1997). Some notodontids cause noticeable defoliation of their hosts. Well-known defoliators include: the saddled prominent ( Heterocampa guttivita ), poplar defoliator ( Clostera cupreata ), California oakworm ( Phryganidia californica ),
728-505: The order. There are approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of which have yet to be described. Most species of moth are nocturnal , although there are also crepuscular and diurnal species. While the butterflies form a monophyletic group, the moths, comprising the rest of the Lepidoptera, do not. Many attempts have been made to group the superfamilies of the Lepidoptera into natural groups, most of which fail because one of
756-405: The two groups is not monophyletic: Microlepidoptera and Macrolepidoptera , Heterocera and Rhopalocera , Jugatae and Frenatae, Monotrysia , and Ditrysia . Although the rules for distinguishing moths from butterflies are not well established, one very good guiding principle is that butterflies have thin antennae and (with the exception of the family Hedylidae ) have small balls or clubs at
784-441: The upper part of the visual field, or on the horizon. When a moth encounters a much closer artificial light and uses it for navigation, the angle changes noticeably after only a short distance, in addition to being often below the horizon. The moth instinctively attempts to correct by turning toward the light, thereby causing airborne moths to come plummeting downward, and resulting in a spiral flight path that gets closer and closer to
#552447