MOTHS OF BELIZE
SPECIES LISTS BY FAMILY
15(b). Arctiidae: Ctenuchinae
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SUBFAMILY DESCRIPTION
The Ctenuchinae ('Wasp Moths') have long been suspected to be an 'unnatural' group,
made up of unrelated species which have evolved to appear similar due
to similar evolutionary selection pressures - in this case to mimic various
species of wasps and other noxious insects. Recent cladistic work by Jacobson
& Weller (2002) has concluded that the former 'Ctenuchinae' consist of two closely related new
world tribes of the subfamily Arctiinae - the Ctenuchini and the Euchromiini -
and that the mostly tropical old world 'Ctenuchines' are members of the tribe Syntomini of
another Arctiid subfamily, the Syntominae. The vast majority of the former 'Ctenuchinae'
(ie Ctenuchini and Euchromiini) are
confined to the new world tropics, with about a dozen species ranging into North America.
Most
are between 20 and 40 mm in wingspan: their wings are characteristically
long and thin and often possess large transparent patches in mimicry of
various species of wasps and bees. Larvae are difficult to distinguish
from those of other Arctiids, but feed upon grasses, lichens, mosses and
various members of the plant family Apocynaceae (Scoble 1992). This
group has not been catalogued or revised in detail since
the major work by Hampson (1898, 1914) but the recent work by Jacobson
& Weller (2002) has revised the higher classification of the Arctiidae
including the former 'Ctenuchinae'. I retain the old, artificial
classification for now as it is familiar to most workers.
BELIZE SPECIES
78 morphospecies of this 'subfamily' have been collcted in Belize so far, as listed below -
please click on any underlined species names to go to a colour
illustration of the adult
(and sometimes its genitalia) and brief information on
the species.
The genus Episcepsis
Episcepsis inornata Walker 1856
Episcepsis thetis L. 1771
Episcepsis lenaeus Cramer 1780
Episcepsis phlebitis Dognin 1913
The genus Aclytia
Aclytia punctata Butler 1876
Aclytia heber Cramer 1780
Aclytia ventralis Guerin-Ménéville 1844
Aclytia sp. indet.
The genus Epidesma
Epidesma ursula Cramer 1782
The genus Eucereon
Eucereon relegatum Schaus 1911
Eucereon atriguttum Druce 1905
Eucereon balium Hampson 1898
Eucereon pseudarchias Hampson 1898
Eucereon obscurum Möschler 1872
Eucereon phaeoproctum Hampson 1898
Eucereon sp. indet. 1
Eucereon sp. indet. 2
Eucereon sp. indet. 3
Eucereon rosa Walker 1854
The genus Theages
Theages xanthura Schaus 1910
The genus Timalus
Timalus caeruleus Hampson 1898
The genus Chlorostola
Chlorostola corydon(?) Druce 1884 (or near)
The genus Ixylasia
Ixylasia schausi Druce 1896
The genus Isanthrene
Isanthrene perbosci Guerin-Meneville 1814
Isanthrene azia(?) Druce 1884
The genus Neacerea
Neacerea testacea Druce 1884
Neacerea rufiventris Schaus 1894
The genus Heliura
Heliura rhodophila Walker 1856
The genus Nyridela
Nyridela xanthocera Walker 1856
The genus Leucotmemis
Leucotmemis nexa Herrich-Schaeffer 1854
The genus Hyaleucerea
Hyaleucerea vulnerata Butler 1875
The genus Dinia
Dinia aeagrus Cramer 1779
The genus Cosmosoma
Cosmosoma auge L. 1767
Cosmosoma braconoides Walker 1854
Cosmosoma sectinota Hampson 1898
Cosmosoma stibostictum Butler 1876
Cosmosoma caecum Hampson 1898
Cosmosoma teuthras Walker 1854
Cosmosoma festivum Walker 1854
Cosmosoma xanthosticta Hampson 1898
Cosmosoma ? sp. indet.
The genus Gymnelia
Gymnelia ethodaea Druce 1889
The genus Dycladia
Dycladia imitata(?) Druce
Dycladia vitrina Rothschild
The genus Abrochia
Abrochia leovazquezae Ruiz & Sarabia 1986
The genus Phoenicoprocta
Phoenicoprocta rubiventer(?) Hampson 1898
The genus Pheia
Pheia albisigna Walker 1854
The genus Psilopleura
Psilopleura vittata Walker 1864
The genus Correbia
Correbia undulata Druce 1884
Correbia sp. nr. agnonides Druce
The genus Correbidia
Correbidia assimilis Rothschild 1912
Correbidia elegans Druce 1884
The genus Napata
Napata walkeri Druce 1889
The genus Psoloptera
Psoloptera basifulva Schaus 1894
The genus Macrocneme
Macrocneme sp. complex
The genus Poliopastea
Poliopastea sp. indet. 1
Poliopastea sp. indet. 2
The genus Horama
Horama plumipes Drury 1773
Horama oedippus Boisduval 1870
The genus Sciopsyche
Sciopsyche tropica Walker 1854
The genus Saurita
Saurita? sp. nr fumosa Schaus 1912
Saurita stryma Druce 1884
The genus Syntomeida
Syntomeida epilais Walker 1854
Syntomeida melanthus Cramer 1779
Syntomeida syntomoides Boisduval 1836
The genus Belemnia
Belemnia inaurata Sulzer 1776
The genus Sphecosoma
Sphecosoma felderi Druce 1883
Unknown genera
Genus & species indet. 1
Genus & species indet. 2
Genus & species indet. 3
Genus & species indet. 4
Genus & species indet. 5
Genus & species indet. 6
Genus & species indet. 7
Genus & species indet. 8
Genus & species indet. 9
Genus & species indet. 10
Genus & species indet. 11
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