Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
some may arise from verrucae; crochets on
abdominal prolegs biordinal, arranged in a
mesoseries; setae on the head not arising from
raised tubercles (cf. family Pieridae).
EXAMPLE:
Malacosoma neustria
(lackey moth).
Fig. 133
Antenna of a butterfly - family Pieridae.
Superfamily
GEOMETROIDEA
Mainly small or medium-sized moths, most often
with narrow bodies and relatively large wings.
Tympanal organs present in the abdomen.
27. Family GEOMETRIDAE (geometer
moths)
(p. 228
et seq.)
A very large family of mainly weak-flying moths,
usually with both a frenulum and a proboscis;
tympanal organs located at base of abdomen;
relative to body, wings often large and, some-
times, butterfly-like but antennae either thread-
like
(Fig. 135a)
or feathery
(Fig. 135b),
never
clubbed; females sometimes wingless or with ves-
tigial wings. Larvae typically long, thin and often
twig-like
(Fig. 136),
progressing with a looping
gait; most have just two pairs of functional ab-
dominal prolegs (located on the sixth and tenth
abdominal segments)
(Fig. 137a)
but rudimentary
prolegs are sometimes present on the third, fourth
and/or fifth abdominal segments (e.g.
Fig. 137b).
EXAMPLES:
Ennominae -
Abraxas grossu-
lariata
(magpie moth),
Biston betularia
(pep-
pered moth); Larentiinae -
Chloroclystis
rectangulata
(green pug moth),
Operophtera
brumata
(winter moth); Oenochrominae -
Alsophila aescularia
(March moth).
Fig.
134
Arrangement of crochets on a pair of
abdominal prolegs of a pierid larva - family
Pieridae.
frenulum absent; forelegs often reduced or oth-
erwise modified.
25. Family PIERIDAE
(p. 226
et seq.)
Usually mainly white-scaled butterflies, marked
with black, yellow or orange; forelegs unmodi-
fied. Larvae elongate, the body bearing short
setae; crochets on the abdominal prolegs bior-
dinal or triordinal, arranged in a mesoseries
(Fig.
134);
setae on the head arising from raised tuber-
cles (cf. family Lasiocampidae).
EXAMPLE:
Pieris
brassicae
(large
white
butterfly).
Superfamily
BOMBYCOIDEA
Superfamily SPHINGOIDEA
28. Family SPHINGIDAE (hawk moths)
(p. 232)
Tympanal organs absent; frenulum usually ves-
tigial; antennae pectinate (in male, often strongly
bipectinate); proboscis atrophied.
Large, stout-bodied moths with long, narrow
forewings and a well-developed, often very long,
proboscis; antennae noticeably thickened to-
wards or beyond the middle, with the apex
pointed and often hooked
(Fig. 138);
frenulum
well-developed; tympanal organs absent. Larvae
stout-bodied and usually with a prominent dorsal
26. Family LASIOCAMPIDAE
(p. 228)
Medium-sized to large, stout-bodied moths with
bipectinate antennae in both sexes; frenulum
vestigial. Larval body hairs mainly scattered but
