Uraniinae phylogeny after Lees and Smith 1991Lees, David C. and Smith, Neal G. (1991) "Foodplants of the Uraniinae (Uraniinae) and their Systematic, Evolutionary and Ecological Significance. Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society, vol. 45. available at http://research.yale.edu/peabody/jls/pdfs/1990s/1991/1991-45(4)296-Lees.pdf (1) Use Endospermum as a food plant.(2) Use Omphalea as a food plant and adults are diurnal. Urapterita is not included for lack of data.
The Uraniinae or uraniine moths are a subfamily of moths in the family Uraniidae. It contains seven genera that occur in the tropics of the world.
Three of its genera (Alcides, Chrysiridia, and Urania) are essentially diurnal, although some crepuscular activity has been recorded. They are blackish with markings in iridescent green or light blue; some species have orange, gold or pink highlights. They are as brightly marked as the most colorful butterflies; indeed, they bear an uncanny resemblance in shape and coloration to some papilionid butterflies (swallowtails and relatives). They are also usually toxic, hence the bright warning colors. Cases are known where harmless butterflies mimic these toxic moths, e.g. Papilio laglaizei and Alcides agathyrsus.
The remaining genera in the subfamily are far less colorful, overall gray-brown with a light band on each wing (Lyssa) or white with brownish markings (Cyphura, Urapteritra, and Urapteroides), and mainly nocturnal or crepuscular. Despite their relatively dull colors, Lyssa species are impressive because of their large size with a typical wingspan of . No other species in the subfamily has a wingspan that exceeds .
Species This list of species is adapted mostly with some rearrangements from The Global Lepidoptera Names Index; it is likely to be fairly complete (as of January 2006) as including valid species for most of which distributional information is here given.
Alcides Hübner, Alcides agathyrsus Kirsch, 1877 (New Guinea) Alcides argyrios Gmelin, 1788 Alcides arnus Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874 Alcides aruus Felder, 1874 (Aru I.) Alcides aurora Salvin & Godman, 1877 (New Britain, New Ireland) Alcides boops Westwood, 1879 Alcides cydnus Felder, 1859 (Maluku) Alcides latona Druce, 1886 (Solomons) Alcides liris Felder, 1860 (New Guinea) Alcides metaurus (Hopffer, 1856) (Australia) Alcides orontes (Linnaeus, 1763) (Moluccas, Ambon Island) Alcides ribbei Pagenstecher, 1912 Alcides sordidior Rothschild, 1916 Alcides zodiaca (Butler, 1869) (Australia)
Chrysiridia Hübner, Chrysiridia croesus (Gerstaecker, 1871) – African sunset moth (Tanzania) Chrysiridia rhipheus (Drury, 1773) – Madagascan sunset moth (Madagascar)
Cyphura Warren, 1902 Cyphura albisecta Warren Cyphura approximans Swinhoe, 1916 Cyphura atramentaria Warren Cyphura bifasciata Butler, 1879 Cyphura catenulata Warren, 1902 Cyphura caudiferaria Boisduval Cyphura clarissima Butler Cyphura costalis Butler Cyphura dealbata Warren Cyphura destrigata Kirsch Cyphura extensa Rothschild Cyphura falka Swinhoe Cyphura geminia (Cramer, 1777) (Ambon Island) Cyphura gutturalis Swinhoe, 1916 Cyphura latimarginata Swinhoe, 1902 Cyphura maxima Strand Cyphura multistrigaria Warren Cyphura mundaria Walker Cyphura pannata Felder Cyphura pardata Warren Cyphura phantasma Felder Cyphura pieridaria Warren, 1902 Cyphura reducta Joicey & Talbot Cyphura semialba Warren Cyphura semiobsoleta Warren Cyphura subsimilis Warren, 1902 Cyphura swinhoei Joicey, 1917 Cyphura urapteroides Joicey
Lyssa Hübner, 1823 Lyssa achillaria Hübner, 1816 Lyssa curvata Skinner, 1903 (Vanuatu) Lyssa fletcheri Regteren Altena, 1953 Lyssa macleayi (Montrouzier, 1857) (Australia) Lyssa menoetius (Hopffer, 1856) (Borneo, Philippines, Sangir, Sulawesi) Lyssa menoetius adspersus (Regteren Altena, 1953) (Kalimantan) Lyssa menoetius celebensis (Regteren Altena, 1953) (Sulawesi) Lyssa mutata Butler, 1887 (Solomons) Lyssa patroclus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Moluccas) Lyssa patroclaria Hübner, 1816 Lyssa toxopeusi Regteren Altena, 1953 Lyssa velutinus Röber, 1927 Lyssa zampa (Butler, 1869) (Himalaya to southern China, Thailand, Andamans, Philippines, Sulawesi) Lyssa zampa docile (Butler, 1877) (Andaman Islands) Lyssa zampa dilutus (Röber, 1927) (Sulawesi)
Urania Fabricius, 1807 Urania leilus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Central and Amazonian South America) Urania brasiliensis Swainson, 1833 (Atlantic forest, Brazil) Urania fulgens (Walker, 1854) (Veracruz, Mexico, throughout Central America to northern Ecuador west of the Andes) Urania poeyi Herrich-Schäffer, 1866 (E. Cuba) Urania boisduvalii Guérin-Meneville, 1829 (W. Cuba) Urania amphiclus Guenée, 1857] Urania elegans Niepelt, 1930 Urania fernandinae MacLeay, 1834 Urania surinamensis Swainson] Urania occidentalis Swainson, 1833 Urania sloanus Cramer, 1779 (Jamaica, extinct circa 1894) Urania sloanaria Hübner, 1816
Urapteritra Viette, 1972 Urapteritra antsianakariae Oberthür, 1923 (Madagascar) Urapteritra falcifera (Weymer, 1892) (East Africa) Urapteritra mabillei Viette, 1972 (Madagascar) Urapteritra montana Viette, 1972 (Madagascar) Urapteritra piperita Oberthür, 1923 (Madagascar) Urapteritra recurvata Warren (Madagascar) Urapteritra suavis Oberthür, 1923 (Madagascar) Urapteritra fasciata (Mabille, 1878)(Madagascar)
Urapteroides Moore, 1888 Urapteroides anerces Meyrick, 1886 (Fiji) Urapteroides astheniata (Guenée, 1857) (Himalaya to New Guinea, Queensland) Urapteroides diana Swinhoe (Peninsular Malaysia) (possibly a form of U. astheniata) Urapteroides equestraria Boisduval Urapteroides hermaea Druce, 1888 Urapteroides hyemalis Butler, 1887 (Solomons, Vanuatu) Urapteroides malgassaria Mabille, 1878 Urapteroides swinhoei Rothschild Urapteroides urapterina Butler, 1877
References
External links Moths of Borneo: Subfamily Uraniinae (with pictures and description of species: Lyssa zampa, L. menoetius, Urapteroides astheniata)
Further reading van Regteren Altena, C. O. (1953) A revision of the genus Nyctalemon Dalman (Lepidoptera, Uraniidae) with notes on the biology, distribution, and evolution of its species. Zoologische Verhandelingen 19(1): 1-58. Note: Nyctalemon is a junior synonym of Lyssa.