(invertebrate zoology) The castniids; large diurnal, butterflylike moths composing the single, small family of the lepidopteran superfamily Castnioidea.
Castniidae
| Sci-Tech Dictionary: Castniidae |
(′kast′nī·ə′dē)
| 5min Related Video: Castniidae |
| Wikipedia: Castniidae |
| Giant Butterfly-Moths and Sun Moths | |
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| Paysandisia archon | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Suborder: | Glossata |
| Infraorder: | Heteroneura |
| Division: | Ditrysia |
| Section: | Cossina |
| Subsection: | Cossina |
| Superfamily: | Castnioidea |
| Family: | Castniidae |
| Subfamilies & Genera | |
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Castniinae
Tascininae |
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Castniidae, or castniid moths, is a small family of moths with less than 200 species: The majority are Neotropical with some in Australia and a few in south-east Asia. These are medium-sized to very large moths, usually with drab, cryptically-marked forewings and brightly coloured hindwings. They have clubbed antennae and are day-flying, and are often mistaken for butterflies. Indeed some previous classification systems placed this family within the butterflies or skippers. The Neotropical species are commonly known as giant butterfly-moths, the Australian and Asian species as sun moths. The larvae are internal feeders, often on roots of epiphytes or on monocotyledons (Edwards et al., 1999: 184-188).
References
- Edwards, E.D., Gentili, P., Horak, M., Kristensen, N.P. and Nielsen, E.S. (1999). The cossoid/sesioid assemblage. Ch. 11, pp. 181-195 in Kristensen, N.P. (Ed.). Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies. Volume 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbuch der Zoologie. Eine Naturgeschichte der Stämme des Tierreiches / Handbook of Zoology. A Natural History of the phyla of the Animal Kingdom. Band / Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta Teilband / Part 35: 491 pp. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York.
External links
- Natural History Museum Lepidoptera genus list
- Tree of Life
- Australian Moths Online
- Sun Moths
- Australian Castniidae
- Castniidae Images
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| Lepidoptera (arthropoda) |
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