Urodidae

Urodidae or "false burnet moths" is a family of insects in the lepidopteran order, representing its own superfamily, Urodoidea, with three genera, one of which, Wockia, occurs in Europe.

Taxonomy and systematics

Urodidae were previously included in the superfamily Yponomeutoidea (Kyrki, 1984, 1988) and have also been lumped with Galacticidae (Heppner, 1991, 1997) or with other Sesioidea (Heppner, 1998). They belong to the lower part of the lepidopteran clade "Apoditrysia" (Dugdale et al., 1999) (i.e. not "Obtectomera" ), but their closest relatives are as yet unknown and it is hoped that DNA sequencing can help resolve this question

Morphology and identification

Urodidae resemble some Zygaenidae: Procridinae at rest , These small to medium sized moths measure 11 to 37 mm in wingspan and often have a greyish or mottled forewing background colour. The male adult has a "hairpencil" on the costa of the hindwing. In the caterpillar, the placement of the setae and structure of the prolegs is diagnostic, and the pupal segments I-II are fixed. On the head, there are no ocelli or "chaetosemata" and the proboscis even at the base is unscaled. An "epiphysis" is present on the foreleg (Dugdale et al. (1999), and for more details).

Distribution

The genera Urodus and Spiladarcha occur in the Neotropics whilst Wockia asperipunctella occurs in Europe and has recently been found in northern North America (Heppner, 1997; Landry, 1998) and unless this is a recent invasion the species would be a good example of a Holarctic distribution pattern.

Biology and hostplants

The biology is poorly known, but the larvae can be found on various tree species including some fruit trees. The "Bumelia Webworm Moth" Urodus parvula is recorded on Lauraceae: (avocado=Persea), Fagaceae (Quercus), Sapotaceae (Sideroxylon) and Erythroxylaceae: Erythroxylum. Urodus parvula has also been reared on Rutaceae (Citrus) and Malvaceae (Hibiscus) W. asperipunctella has in North America been reared from aspen Populus tremuloides (Landry, 1998) and also Salix in Europe. The pupa is contained in an open-mesh cocoon, which can be bright orange in colour, which is sometimes suspended on a very long thread below a leaf.

References

• Heppner, J. (1991). Faunal regions and the diversity of Lepidoptera. Tropical Lepidoptera, '2 (Suppl. 1): 1-85.
• Heppner, J. (1997). Wockia asperipunctella in North America (Lepidoptera: Urodidae: Galacticinae). Holarctic Lepidoptera, 4(2)
• Heppner, J. (1998). Classification of Lepidoptera. Part 1. Introduction. Holarctic Lepidoptera, '5 (Suppl. 1): 1-148.
• Kyrki, J. (1983). Adult abdominal sternum II in ditrysian tineoid superfamilies - morphology and phylogenetic significance (Lepidoptera). Annales Entomologia Fennica, 49: 89-9
• Kyrki, J. (1988). The systematic position of Wockia Heinemann, 1870 and related genera (Lepidoptera: Ditrysia: Yponomeutidae auct.). Nota lepidopterologica, 11: 45-69.
• Landry, J.-F. (1998). Additional Nearctic records of Wockia aspericpunctella, with notes on its distribution and structural variation (Lepidoptera: Urodidae). Holarctic Lepidoptera, 5(3): 9-13.

Sources

• Firefly Encyclopedia of Insects and Spiders, edited by Christopher O'Toole, ISBN 1-55297-612-2, 2002. [Vernacular name]
• The systematic position of Wockia Heinemann, 1870, and related genera (Lepidoptera: Ditrysia: Yponomeutidae auct.). Nota lepidopterologica, 11(1): 53.

External links

• Tree of Life
• NHM Hosts Database
• Fauna Europaea Experts
• Wockia asperipunctella from Lepidoptera of Finland
• Moth Photographer's Group
• Urodus parvula
• Urodus parvula voucher
• Barcoding progress
• Nuclear gene sequencing progress
• Wikispecies

Provisional list of species (based on Lepindex)

• Spiladarcha capnodes (Walsingham, 1914) (originally in Anchimacheta) [Type locality Mexico] Card
• Spiladarcha derelicta Meyrick, 1913 [Type locality British Guiana] Card
• Spiladarcha iodes (Walsingham, 1914) (originally in Anchimacheta) [Type locality Mexico] Card
• Spiladarcha tolmetes (Walsingham, 1914) (originally in Anchimacheta) [Type locality Mexico] Card
• Urodus amphilocha Meyrick, 1923
• Urodus aphanoptis Meyrick, 1930
• Urodus aphrogama Meyrick, 1936
• Urodus auchmera Walsingham, 1914
• Urodus brachyanches Meyrick, 1931
• Urodus calligera Zeller, 1877 (originally in ?)
• Urodus carabopa Meyrick, 1925
• Urodus chiquita Busck, 1910 (originally in ?)
• Urodus chrysoconis Meyrick, 1932
• Urodus costaricae Busck, 1910 (originally in ?)
• Urodus cumulata Walsingham, 1914
• Urodus cyanombra Meyrick, 1913 (originally in ?)
• Urodus cyclopica Meyrick, 1930
• Urodus decens Meyrick, 1925
• Urodus distincta Strand, 1911 (originally in ?)
• Urodus favigera Meyrick, 1913 (originally in ?)
• Urodus fonteboae Strand, 1911 (originally in ?)
• Urodus forficulella (Walsingham, 1897) (originally in Paratiquadra)
• Urodus fulminalis Meyrick, 1931
• Urodus fumosa (Zeller, 1863) (originally in Trichostibas)
• Urodus hephaestiella (Zeller, 1877) (originally in ?)
• Urodus hexacentris Meyrick, 1931
• Urodus imitans Felder, 1875 (originally in ?)
• Urodus imitata Druce, 1884
• Urodus iophlebia Zeller, 1877 (originally in ?)
• Urodus isoxesta Meyrick, 1932
• Urodus isthmiella Busck, 1910 (originally in ?)
• ?Urodus lissopeda (Meyrick, 1932) (originally in Pygmocrates) [Type locality Brazil] Card
• Urodus lithophaea Meyrick, 1913 (originally in ?)
• Urodus marantica Walsingham, 1914
• Urodus merida Strand, 1911 (originally in ?)
• Urodus mirella (Möschler, 1890) (originally in Pexicnemidia)
• Urodus modesta Druce, 1884
• Urodus niphatma Meyrick, 1925
• Urodus opticosema Meyrick, 1930
• Urodus ovata Zeller, 1877 (originally in ?)
• Urodus pallidicostella Walsingham, 1897
• Urodus pamporphyra Meyrick, 1936
• Urodus parvula Edwards, 1881 (originally in ?)
• Urodus perischias Meyrick, 1925
• Urodus porphyrina Meyrick, 1932
• Urodus praetextata Meyrick, 1913 (originally in ?)
• Urodus procridias Meyrick, 1936
• Urodus pulvinata Meyrick, 1923
• Urodus sanctipaulensis Strand, 1911 (originally in ?)
• Urodus scythrochalca Meyrick, 1932
• Urodus sordidata Zeller, 1877 (originally in ?)
• Urodus spumescens Meyrick, 1925
• Urodus staphylina Meyrick, 1932
• Urodus subcaerulea Dognin, 1910
• Urodus sympiestis Meyrick, 1925
• Urodus tineiformis (Walker, 1856) (originally in Aperla)
• Urodus transverseguttata Zeller, 1877 (originally in ?)
• Urodus triancycla Meyrick, 1931
• Urodus venatella Busck, 1910 (originally in ?) [Type locality Brasilien] Card
• Urodus xiphura Meyrick, 1931
• Wockia asperipunctella Bruand, 1850 (originally in Anacampsis)
• =Patula asperipunctella Bruand, 1850 [Type locality France] Card
• =Wockia funebrella Heinemann, 1870 Card