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Heliodinidae

Specimen image via iDigBio · CC0

EntityQ140714· pop 18· linked from 187 articles

Heliodinidae

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Heliodinidae, commonly known as sun moths, is a family of small moths with slender bodies and narrow wings. Members of this family are found in most parts of the world. Heliodinid moths are brightly coloured day-flying moths. The base of the haustellum is bare. The scales on the head are compact and appear like a shield. Many Heliodinidae raise their hindlegs when resting but this is not a taxonomic feature and several genera like Epicroesa and Lamprolophus do not show this posture. Many Heliodinidae have the inner and outer spurs of the metatibia subequal. The larval host plants of the majori

Species

FAMILY

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumArthropoda
  3. ClassInsecta
  4. OrderLepidoptera
  5. FamilyHeliodinidae
Observations recorded2,958

via GBIF

Museum specimens

Specimen records
51
With media
6
Family
Heliodinidae
Collections
MSU, SDNHM, USNM, LACM, UI, MISSA
Recorded in
United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Kenya, United Kingdom

Wikidata facts

Instance of
taxon
Parent taxon
Yponomeutoidea
Image
Xestocasis balanochrysa.jpg
Show 5 more facts
taxon rank
family
taxon name
Heliodinidae
topic's main category
Category:Heliodinidae
Commons category
Heliodinidae
taxon common name
Sun Moths
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~1 min read

Encyclopedic overview

3 sections
Contents
  • Genera
  • Former genera
  • References

Heliodinidae, commonly known as sun moths, is a family of small moths with slender bodies and narrow wings. Members of this family are found in most parts of the world. Heliodinid moths are brightly coloured day-flying moths. The base of the haustellum is bare. The scales on the head are compact and appear like a shield. Many Heliodinidae raise their hindlegs when resting but this is not a taxonomic feature and several genera like Epicroesa and Lamprolophus do not show this posture. Many Heliodinidae have the inner and outer spurs of the metatibia subequal. The larval host plants of the majority of species are in the Aizoaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Phytolaccaceae, Portulacaceae and Nyctaginaceae, all in the Order Caryophyllales. A few feed on Onagraceae, Araliaceae and Piperaceae. The larvae's feeding strategies include skeletonizing leaves (consumption of most of the leaf while leaving behind the stems), boring into leaf stems, leaf mining, and opportunistically invading cecidomyiid galls. The pupae have long stiff hairs on their back sides.

==Genera== The family includes the following genera:

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Heliodinidae” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.