Uraniinae
Encyclopedia
The Uraniinae or uraniine moths are a subfamily of moths in the family
Uraniidae
. It contains seven genera
that occur in the tropics
of the world.
Three of its genera (Alcides, Chrysiridia and Urania) are essentially diurnal, although some crepuscular
activity has been recorded. They are blackish with markings in iridescent green or light blue; in some species with orange, gold or pink highlights. They are as brightly marked as the most colorful butterflies; indeed, they bear an uncanny resemblance in shape and coloration to some papilionid butterflies (swallowtails and relatives). They are also usually toxic, hence the bright warning colors. There are cases where harmless butterflies mimic
these toxic moths, e.g. Papilio laglaizei
and Alcides agathyrsus
.
The remaining genera in the subfamily are far less colorful, overall gray-brown with a light band on each wing (Lyssa) or white with brownish markings (Cyphura, Urapteritra and Urapteroides), and mainly nocturnal or crepuscular. Despite their relatively dull colors, Lyssa are impressive because of their large size with a typical wingspan of 10–16 cm (3.9–6.3 in). No other species in the subfamily has a wingspan that exceeds 10 centimetres (3.9 in).
However, a considerable number of the taxa listed here are suspected to be junior synonyms of others. If starting species
/genus
pages, please double-check beforehand whether the taxon in question is still considered valid. Especially those in square brackets should be considered suspect without up-to-date information on their taxonomic status, a thorough review of the group being still pending but see .
Note also that namely in suspect taxa, parentheses around describers' names and description dates—which indicate a genus change from the original description—may be missing.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Uraniidae
Uraniidae
The Uraniidae are a family of moths containing four subfamilies, ninety genera, and roughly seven-hundred species. The family is distributed throughout the tropics of Americas, Africa and Indo-Australia. Some of the tropical species are known for their bright, butterfly-like colors and are called...
. It contains seven genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
that occur in the tropics
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
of the world.
Three of its genera (Alcides, Chrysiridia and Urania) are essentially diurnal, although some crepuscular
Crepuscular
Crepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight, that is during dawn and dusk. The word is derived from the Latin word crepusculum, meaning "twilight." Crepuscular is, thus, in contrast with diurnal and nocturnal behavior. Crepuscular animals may also be active on a bright...
activity has been recorded. They are blackish with markings in iridescent green or light blue; in some species with orange, gold or pink highlights. They are as brightly marked as the most colorful butterflies; indeed, they bear an uncanny resemblance in shape and coloration to some papilionid butterflies (swallowtails and relatives). They are also usually toxic, hence the bright warning colors. There are cases where harmless butterflies mimic
Batesian mimicry
Batesian mimicry is a form of mimicry typified by a situation where a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species directed at a common predator...
these toxic moths, e.g. Papilio laglaizei
Papilio laglaizei
Papilio laglaizei is a swallowtail butterfly found in New Guinea. It is a mimic of Alcides agathyrsus. The larvae feed on Litsea....
and Alcides agathyrsus
Alcides agathyrsus
Alcides agathyrsus is a species of day-flying moth of the Uraniidae family. It is found from Indonesia to New Guinea. The butterfly Papilio laglaizei is a Batesian mimic of this moth. Category:Uraniidae...
.
The remaining genera in the subfamily are far less colorful, overall gray-brown with a light band on each wing (Lyssa) or white with brownish markings (Cyphura, Urapteritra and Urapteroides), and mainly nocturnal or crepuscular. Despite their relatively dull colors, Lyssa are impressive because of their large size with a typical wingspan of 10–16 cm (3.9–6.3 in). No other species in the subfamily has a wingspan that exceeds 10 centimetres (3.9 in).
Species
NOTE: This list of species is adapted mostly with some rearrangements from The Global Lepidoptera Names Index; it is likely to be fairly complete (as of January 2006) as including valid species for most of which distributional information is here given.However, a considerable number of the taxa listed here are suspected to be junior synonyms of others. If starting species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
/genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
pages, please double-check beforehand whether the taxon in question is still considered valid. Especially those in square brackets should be considered suspect without up-to-date information on their taxonomic status, a thorough review of the group being still pending but see .
Note also that namely in suspect taxa, parentheses around describers' names and description dates—which indicate a genus change from the original description—may be missing.
- Alcides HübnerJacob HübnerJacob Hübner was a German entomologist. He was the author of Sammlung Europäischer Schmetterlinge , a founding work of entomology.-Scientific career:...
, 1822 - Alcides agathyrsusAlcides agathyrsusAlcides agathyrsus is a species of day-flying moth of the Uraniidae family. It is found from Indonesia to New Guinea. The butterfly Papilio laglaizei is a Batesian mimic of this moth. Category:Uraniidae...
Kirsch, 1877 (New Guinea) - [Alcides argyrios Gmelin, 1788]
- Alcides arnus Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874
- Alcides aruus Felder, 1874 (Aru I.)
- Alcides aurora Salvin & Godman, 1877 (New Britain, New Ireland)
- [Alcides boops Westwood, 1879]
- Alcides cydnus Felder, 1859 (Maluku)
- Alcides latona Druce, 1886 (Solomons)
- Alcides liris Felder, 1860 (New Guinea)
- Alcides metaurusAlcides metaurusAlcides metaurus is a moth of the Uraniidae family. It is known from the tropical north of Queensland.The wingspan is about 100 mm. Adults are black with iridescent bands of yellow and pink. The underside is iridescent pale green with black bands. They are on wing during the day and feed on flower...
(Hopffer, 1856) (Australia) - Alcides orontesAlcides orontesAlcides orontes is a moth of the Uraniidae family. It is known from the Maluku Islands, including Seram Island and Ambon Island....
(Linnaeus, 1763) (Moluccas, Ambon Island) - [Alcides ribbei Pagenstecher, 1912]
- [Alcides sordidior Rothschild, 1916]
- [Alcides zodiaca (Butler, 1869) (Australia)]
- Chrysiridia Hübner, 1823
- Chrysiridia croesus Gerstaecker, 1871 (Tanzania)
- Chrysiridia rhipheus (DruryDru DruryDru Drury was a British entomologist, one of the foremost of his time.He was born in Wood Lane, London. His father was a silversmith, and Dru took over the business in 1748. He retired as a silversmith in 1789 to devote his time entirely to entomology...
, 1773) (Madagascar)- Junior synonymsSynonym (taxonomy)In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
: [C. madagascariensis (Lesson, 1831)], [C. crameri (Maassen, 1879)], [C. druryi (Boisduval, 1874)], [C. papageno (Niepelt, 1931)] - [C. prometheus (DrapiezPierre Auguste Joseph DrapiezPierre Auguste Joseph Drapiez was a Belgian naturalist.He founded with the French botanist Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent and the Belgian chemist Jean-Baptiste Van Mons the Annales générales de Sciences physiques consacrées aux Sciences naturelles published in six volumes between 1819 and...
, 1819)] This refers to a single specimen said to have come from St HelenaSaint HelenaSaint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
. It is either a synonym of C. rhipheus or an extinct species
- Junior synonyms
- Cyphura Warren, 1902
- Cyphura albisecta Warren
- Cyphura approximans Swinhoe, 1916
- Cyphura atramentaria Warren
- Cyphura bifasciata Butler, 1879
- Cyphura catenulata Warren, 1902
- Cyphura caudiferaria Boisduval
- Cyphura clarissima Butler
- Cyphura costalis Butler
- Cyphura dealbata Warren
- Cyphura destrigata Kirsch
- Cyphura extensa Rothschild
- Cyphura falka Swinhoe
- Cyphura geminia (Cramer, 1777) (Ambon Island)
- Cyphura gutturalis Swinhoe, 1916
- Cyphura latimarginata Swinhoe, 1902
- Cyphura maxima Strand
- Cyphura multistrigaria Warren
- Cyphura mundaria Walker
- Cyphura pannata Felder
- Cyphura pardata Warren
- Cyphura phantasma Felder
- Cyphura pieridaria Warren, 1902
- Cyphura reducta Joicey & Talbot
- Cyphura semialba Warren
- Cyphura semiobsoleta Warren
- Cyphura subsimilis Warren, 1902
- Cyphura swinhoei Joicey, 1917
- Cyphura urapteroides Joicey
- Lyssa Hübner, 1823
- Lyssa achillaria Hübner, 1816
- Lyssa curvata Skinner, 1903 (Vanuatu)
- Lyssa fletcheri Regteren Altena, 1953
- Lyssa macleayi (Montrouzier, 1857) (Australia)
- Lyssa menoetius (Hopffer, 1856) (Borneo, Philippines, Sangir, Sulawesi)
-
-
- Lyssa menoetius adspersus (Regteren Altena, 1953) (KalimantanKalimantanIn English, the term Kalimantan refers to the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo, while in Indonesian, the term "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo....
) - Lyssa menoetius celebensis (Regteren Altena, 1953) (Sulawesi)
- Lyssa mutata Butler, 1887 (Solomons)
- Lyssa patroclus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Moluccas)
- [Lyssa patroclaria Hübner, 1816]
- Lyssa toxopeusi Regteren Altena, 1953
- Lyssa velutinus Röber, 1927
- Lyssa zampaLyssa zampaLyssa zampa also known as the Tropical Swallowtail Moth is a species of moth of the family Uraniidae. It is found from Himalaya to Borneo.The wingspan is 100-160 mm. The moth flies from June to November depending on the location....
(Butler, 1869) (Himalaya to southern China, Thailand, Andamans, Philippines, Sulawesi)
- Lyssa zampa docile (Butler, 1877) (Andaman IslandsAndaman IslandsThe Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...
) - Lyssa zampa dilutus (Röber, 1927) (Sulawesi)
- Lyssa menoetius adspersus (Regteren Altena, 1953) (Kalimantan
-
- Urania FabriciusJohan Christian FabriciusJohan Christian Fabricius was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others...
, 1807 - Urania leilusUrania leilusThe Green-banded Urania, Urania leilus, is a day-flying moth of the Uraniidae family. It is found in tropical South America east of the Andes, including Suriname, French Guiana, east Colombia, Venezuela, east Ecuador, Brazil, north Bolivia, east Peru and Trinidad. It has been recorded as a vagrant...
(Linnaeus, 1758) (Central and Amazonian South America) - Urania brasiliensis Swainson, 1833 (Atlantic forest, Brazil)
- Urania fulgensUrania fulgensUrania fulgens is a day-flying moth of the Uraniidae family. It is found from Veracruz, Mexico, through Central America to northwestern South America . It is highly migratory and has been recorded as a vagrant to Texas, USA.It is sometimes confused with the similar U...
(Walker, 1854) (Veracruz, Mexico, throughout Central America to northern Ecuador west of the Andes) - Urania poeyi Herrich-Schäffer, 1866 (E. Cuba)
- Urania boisduvalii Guérin-Meneville, 1829 (W. Cuba)
- [Urania amphiclus Guenée, 1857]
- [Urania elegans Niepelt, 1930]
- [Urania fernandinae MacLeay, 1834]
- [Urania surinamensis Swainson]
- [Urania occidentalis Swainson, 1833]
- Urania sloanusUrania sloanusSloane's Urania was a moth of the Uraniidae family, last reported in 1894 or 1895., but possibly surviving until at least 1908.It was black with iridescent red, blue and green markings...
Cramer, 1779 (Jamaica, extinct ca. 1894) - [Urania sloanaria Hübner, 1816]
- Urapteritra Viette, 1972
- Urapteritra antsianakariae Oberthür, 1923 (Madagascar)
- Urapteritra falcifera (Weymer, 1892) (East Africa)
- Urapteritra mabillei Viette, 1972 (Madagascar)
- Urapteritra montana Viette, 1972 (Madagascar)
- Urapteritra piperita Oberthür, 1923 (Madagascar)
- Urapteritra recurvata Warren (Madagascar)
- Urapteritra suavis Oberthür, 1923 (Madagascar)
- Urapteritra fasciata (Mabille, 1878)(Madagascar)
- Urapteroides Moore, 1888
- Urapteroides anerces Meyrick, 1886 (Fiji)
- Urapteroides astheniataUrapteroides astheniataUrapteroides astheniata is a moth of the Uraniidae family. It is found in south-east Asia, from India to Fiji, including New Guinea and the tropical north of Australia.The wingspan is about 60 mm.The larvae feed on Endospermum species....
(Guenée, 1857) (Himalaya to New Guinea, Queensland) - [Urapteroides diana Swinhoe (Peninsular Malaysia) (possibly a form of U. astheniata)]
- [Urapteroides equestraria Boisduval]
- [Urapteroides hermaea Druce, 1888]
- [Urapteroides hyemalis Butler, 1887 (Solomons, Vanuatu)]
- [Urapteroides malgassaria Mabille, 1878]
- [Urapteroides swinhoei Rothschild]
- [Urapteroides urapterina Butler, 1877]
External links
- Moths of Borneo: Subfamily Uraniinae (with pictures and description of species: Lyssa zampa, L. menoetius, Urapteroides astheniata)
Further reading
- van Regteren Altena, C. O. (1953) A revision of the genus Nyctalemon Dalman (Lepidoptera, Uraniidae) with notes on the biology, distribution, and evolution of its species. Zoologische Verhandelingen 19(1): 1-58. Note: Nyctalemon is a junior synonym of Lyssa.