MOTHS OF BELIZE
SPECIES LISTS BY FAMILY
3. Megalopygidae
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The Megalopygidae are a small family of some 220 species, the vast majority
of which are from the New World tropics with a few representatives in North America
and Africa. They are very similar to Limacodidae in appearance, having rounded wings,
short fat hairy abdomens and highly pectinate antennae. Like the Limacodidae,
the larvae possess urticating hairs which can cause extreme allergic reactions
on human skin.
I have collected seven species of this family in Belize to date
and can give provisional identifications to six of them, 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 Megalopyge
Megalopyge lampra Dyar 1910
Megalopyge opercularis J. E. Smith
1797 ssp. bisessa Dyar 1910
Megalopyge albicollis Walker 1855
The genus Podalia
Podalia contigua Walker 1866
The genus Trosia
Trosia sp. nr. fallax Felder 1874
The genus Mesoscia
Mesoscia dumilla Dyar 1913
Unknown genus
Genus & species indet. 1
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