Zygaeninae
Encyclopedia
Zygaeninae is a subfamily of the Zygaenidae
Zygaenidae
The Zygaenidae moths are a family of Lepidoptera. The majority of zygaenids are tropical, but they are nevertheless quite well represented in temperate regions. There are about 1000 species. Various species are commonly known as Burnet or Forester moths, often qualified by the number of spots,...

 family of moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

s. These day-flying moths are native to the West Palearctic
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight ecozones dividing the Earth's surface.Physically, the Palearctic is the largest ecozone...

 (Zygaena
Zygaena
Zygaena may refer to:* Zygaena , a genus of moths of the family Zygaenidae, commonly referred to as "burnets"* Sphyrna zygaena, the smooth hammerhead, a species of hammerhead shark...

) and the Arabian Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...

 (Reissita
Reissita
Reissita simonyi, the Arabian Burnet Moth, is a species of diurnal moth of the Zygaenidae family. It is the only species from the genus Reissita, and native to the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. It resembles some species from the related genus Zygaena, and like them Reissita simonyi is...

). They are able to biosynthesise
Biosynthesis
Biosynthesis is an enzyme-catalyzed process in cells of living organisms by which substrates are converted to more complex products. The biosynthesis process often consists of several enzymatic steps in which the product of one step is used as substrate in the following step...

 hydrogen cyanide, and their bright patterns are warning colours
Aposematism
Aposematism , perhaps most commonly known in the context of warning colouration, describes a family of antipredator adaptations where a warning signal is associated with the unprofitability of a prey item to potential predators...

 to potential predators.

Genera

  • Zygaena
    Zygaena
    Zygaena may refer to:* Zygaena , a genus of moths of the family Zygaenidae, commonly referred to as "burnets"* Sphyrna zygaena, the smooth hammerhead, a species of hammerhead shark...

    Fabricius, 1775
  • Reissita
    Reissita
    Reissita simonyi, the Arabian Burnet Moth, is a species of diurnal moth of the Zygaenidae family. It is the only species from the genus Reissita, and native to the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. It resembles some species from the related genus Zygaena, and like them Reissita simonyi is...

    Tremewan, 1959
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