Lymantriidae
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Lymantriidae is a family of moths with about 350 known genera and 2500 known species found all over the world, in every continent except Antarctica. They are particularly concentrated in tropical Africa, India, Southeast Asia and South America; one estimate lists 268 species in Madagascar alone. Those nearby islands that do not host Lymadtriids include New Zealand, the Antilles, Hawaii, and New Caledonia.Schaefer 4–5
Description
Adult moths of this family do not feed. They usually have muted colours (browns and greys), although some are white, and tend to be very hairy. The larvae are also hairy and in many species the hairs break off very easily and are extremely irritating to the skin. This highly effective defence serves the moth throughout its life cycle as the hairs are incorporated into the cocoon, from where they are collected and stored by the emerging adult female at the tip of the abdomen and used to camouflage and protect the eggs as they are laid. In the larvae of some species, hairs are gathered in dense tufts along the back and this gives them the common name of tussocks.
Species
Species include:
- Brown-tail (Euproctis chrysorrhoea)
- Yellow-tail (Euproctis similis)
- Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar)
- Nun Moth (Lymantria monacha)
- Eloria noyesi
- Painted Apple Moth (Teia anartoides)
- Rusty tussock moth (Orgyia antiqua)
- Western tussock moth (Orgyia vetusta)
References
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