Uraniidae

Belongs within: Geometroidea.

The Uraniidae are a somewhat disparate group of moths united by the presence of sexually dimorphic tympanal organs on the abdomen. Members of the subfamily Uraniinae are often large, diurnal and superficially resemble butterflies in appearance. The Epipleminae are smaller, darker moths that usually hold the hind wings folded along the abdomen at rest while the fore wings are rolled, curled or extended flat (Nielsen & Common 1991).

Colour vs crypsis

Published 7 June 2011

Even if you don’t know much about insects, you’ve probably been taught the difference between a butterfly and a moth. Butterflies are ornate, colourful and active during the day, while moths are… ornate, colourful and active during the day?

The Uraniidae are a family of about 700 species of mostly pantropical moth. The family is united primarily by their distinctive sexually dimorphic tympanal organs: in females, the tympanal organs open ventrally on the first abdominal sternite (as in a number of other moths), but in males they open dorsally or laterally at the junction of the second and third segments (Scoble 1995). About 600 of the 700 species of uraniid are assigned to the subfamily Epipleminae, and are generally nocturnal, brown and cryptic. Many epiplemines roll their wings up when at rest, so that they resemble a small brown stick.

However, some members of the subfamily Uraniinae have become diurnal. These diurnal species have brightly iridescent wings with prominent tails, and have often been compared to swallowtail butterflies. One of the best-known species is Urania fulgens, a South American species that migrates north into Central America at certain times of year. Migrating individuals may reach as far north as the southern United States.

Systematics of Uraniidae

Characters (from Nielsen & Common 1991): Small to large; head smooth scaled; ocelli absent; chaetosemata present, large; antennae thickened, dentate or pectinate in male, filiform in female; proboscis present, unscaled; maxillary palps minute, one-segmented; labial palps small, slender, upturned; epiphysis present; spurs 0-2-3 or 0-2-4; fore wing without wing-locking microtrichia, R₅ well separated from other branches of R and usually forked with M₁; CuP absent; 1A+2A sometimes with minute fork; hind wing with or without frenulum, with or without tails, M₂ widely separate from M₃, CuP absent, one or two anal veins; abdomen with dimorphic paired tympanal organs situated laterally between S2 and S3 in male and at base of S2 in female. Eggs of upright type. Larva with prolegs on segments 3-6 and 10, secondary setae few or absent, prothorax with two L setae, setae on raised pinacula, spiracles on prothorax and abdominal segment 8 much the largest; external feeder. Pupa with dense cover of fine punctures on abdomen, segments 5 and 6 movable, without dorsal spines, with pointed cremaster and divergent anal spines; in cocoon; not protruded at ecdysis.

<==Uraniidae [Uranioidea]
    |  i. s.: Phazaca decorataZS10
    |         Dirades mamilataH01
    |         Chrysiridia ripheusRD77
    |--Epipleminae [Epiplemidae]GE05
    |    |--Balantiucha decorataNC91
    |    |--Lobogethes interruptaNC91
    |    |--Calledapteryx dryopterataKP19
    |    `--EpiblemaF92
    |         |--E. semifuscanaF92
    |         `--E. sordidanaF92
    |--Microniinae [Micronidae, Strophidiadae]NC91
    |    |--Micronia aculeataNC91, WM66
    |    |--Aploschema discataNC91
    |    |--Acropteris nanulaNC91
    |    |--Anteia acrosema Meyrick 1886M86
    |    |--Strophidia harmonica Meyrick 1886M86
    |    |--UrapteroidesC70
    |    `--StesichoraM86
    |         |--S. puellariaM86
    |         `--S. sphaeristis Meyrick 1886M86
    `--UraniinaeNC91
         |--LyssaKP19
         |    |--L. patroclusNC91
         |    `--L. zampaKP19
         |--AlcidesNC91
         |    |--A. agathyrsusDS73
         |    |--A. metaurusZS10
         |    `--A. zodiacaC70
         |--NyctalemonC70
         |    |--N. orontesP27
         |    `--N. patroclusC70
         |         |--N. p. patroclusDS73
         |         `--N. p. macleayi [incl. N. p. goldiei]DS73
         `--UraniaGE05
              |--U. croesusDS73
              |--U. fulgensDS73
              |--U. leilusDS73
              |--U. mariusR13
              |--U. ripheus [incl. Chrysiridia madagascariensis]DS73
              `--U. sloanusDS73

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[C70] Common, I. F. B. 1970. Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers pp. 765–866. Melbourne University Press.

[DS73] Dickens, M., & E. Storey. 1973. The World of Moths. Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.: New York.

[F92] Fan Z. 1992. Key to the Common Flies of China 2^nd ed. Science Press: Beijing.

[GE05] Grimaldi, D., & M. S. Engel. 2005. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press: New York.

[H01] Hampson, G. F. 1901. The Lepidoptera-Phalaenae of the Bahamas. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 7, 7: 246–261.

[KP19] Kawahara, A. Y., D. Plotkin, M. Espeland, K. Meusemann, E. F. A. Toussaint, A. Donath, F. Gimnich, P. B. Frandsen, A. Zwick, M. dos Reis, J. R. Barber, R. S. Peters, S. Liu, X. Zhou, C. Mayer, L. Podsiadlowski, C. Storer, J. E. Yack, B. Misof & J. W. Breinholt. 2019. Phylogenomics reveals the evolutionary timing and pattern of butterflies and moths. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 116 (45): 22657–22663.

[M86] Meyrick, E. 1886. On some Lepidoptera from the Fly River. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 1 (2): 241–258.

[NC91] Nielsen, E. S., & I. F. B. Common. 1991. Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 2 pp. 817–915. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[P27] Philpott, A. 1927. The maxillae in the Lepidoptera. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 57: 721–746.

[R13] Reuter, O. M. 1913. Lebensgewohnheiten und Instinkte der Insekten bis zum Erwachen der sozialen Instinkte. R. Friedländer & Sohn: Berlin.

[RD77] Richards, O. W., & R. G. Davies. 1977. Imms’ General Textbook of Entomology 10^th ed. vol. 2. Classification and Biology. Chapman and Hall: London.

Scoble, M. J. 1995. The Lepidoptera: Form, function and diversity. Oxford University Press.

[WM66] Wallace, A. R., & F. Moore. 1866. List of lepidopterous insects collected at Takow, Formosa, by Mr. R. Swinhoe. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 355–365.

[ZS10] Zborowski, P., & R. Storey. 2010. A Field Guide to Insects in Australia 3^rd ed. Reed New Holland: Sydney.