Urodidae, whose species are commonly known as false burnet moths, is a family of moths in the lepidopteran order. It is the type genus in the superfamily, Urodoidea, with three genera, one of which, Wockia, occurs in Europe.
Taxonomy and systematics Urodidae were previously included in the superfamily Yponomeutoidea (Kyrki, 1984, 1988) and have also been lumped with Galacticidae (Heppner, 1991, 1997) or with other Sesioidea (Heppner, 1998). They belong to the lower part of the lepidopteran clade "Apoditrysia" (Dugdale et al., 1999) (i.e. not "Obtectomera" ), but their closest relatives are as yet unknown and it is hoped that DNA sequencing can help resolve this question.
Urodidae was formerly the only family in the superfamily Urodoidea, but in 2020 a new family was described within Urodoidea, Ustyurtiidae.
Morphology and identification Urodidae resemble some Zygaenidae: Procridinae at rest. These small to medium-sized moths measure 11 to 37 mm in wingspan and often have a greyish or mottled forewing background colour. The male adult has a "hairpencil" on the costa of the hindwing. In the caterpillar, the placement of the setae and structure of the prolegs is diagnostic, and the pupal segments I–II are fixed. On the head, there are no ocelli or "chaetosemata" and the proboscis even at the base is unscaled. An "epiphysis" is present on the foreleg (Dugdale et al. (1999), and for more details).
Distribution The genera Urodus and Spiladarcha occur in the Neotropics while Wockia asperipunctella occurs in Europe and has recently been found in northern North America (Heppner, 1997; Landry, 1998) and unless this is a recent invasion the species would be a good example of a Holarctic distribution pattern.
Biology and host plants
The biology is poorly known, but the larvae can be found on various tree species including some fruit trees. The "bumelia webworm moth" (Urodus parvula) is recorded on Lauraceae: (avocado=Persea), Fagaceae (Quercus), Sapotaceae (Sideroxylon) and Erythroxylaceae: Erythroxylum. Urodus parvula has also been reared on Rutaceae (Citrus) and Malvaceae (Hibiscus). W. asperipunctella has in North America been reared from quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) (Landry, 1998) and also Salix in Europe. The pupa is contained in an open-mesh cocoon, which can be bright orange in colour, and is sometimes suspended on a very long thread below a leaf.
Species The following is a list of selected species: Geoesthia ceylonica Sohn, 2014 [type locality Sri Lanka] Spiladarcha capnodes (Walsingham, 1914) (originally in Anchimacheta) Spiladarcha derelicta Meyrick, 1913 [type locality British Guiana] Spiladarcha iodes (Walsingham, 1914) (originally in Anchimacheta) Spiladarcha tolmetes (Walsingham, 1914) (originally in Anchimacheta) Urodus amphilocha Meyrick, 1923 Urodus aphanoptis Meyrick, 1930 Urodus aphrogama Meyrick, 1936 (from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) Urodus auchmera Walsingham, 1914 Urodus brachyanches Meyrick, 1931 Urodus calligera Zeller, 1877 Urodus carabopa Meyrick, 1925 Urodus chiquita Busck, 1910 Urodus chrysoconis Meyrick, 1932 Urodus costaricae Busck, 1910 Urodus cumulata Walsingham, 1914 Urodus cyanombra Meyrick, 1913 Urodus cyclopica Meyrick, 1930 Urodus decens Meyrick, 1925 Urodus distincta Strand, 1911 Urodus favigera Meyrick, 1913 Urodus fonteboae Strand, 1911 Urodus forficulella (Walsingham, 1897) (originally in Paratiquadra) Urodus fulminalis Meyrick, 1931 Urodus fumosa (Zeller, 1863) (originally in Trichostibas) Urodus hephaestiella (Zeller, 1877) Urodus hexacentris Meyrick, 1931 Urodus imitans Felder, 1875 Urodus imitata Druce, 1884 Urodus iophlebia Zeller, 1877 Urodus isoxesta Meyrick, 1932 Urodus isthmiella Busck, 1910 ?Urodus lissopeda (Meyrick, 1932) (originally in Pygmocrates) Urodus lithophaea Meyrick, 1913 Urodus marantica Walsingham, 1914 Urodus merida Strand, 1911 Urodus mirella (Möschler, 1890) (originally in Pexicnemidia) Urodus modesta Druce, 1884 Urodus niphatma Meyrick, 1925 Urodus opticosema Meyrick, 1930 Urodus ovata Zeller, 1877 Urodus pallidicostella Walsingham, 1897 Urodus pamporphyra Meyrick, 1936 (from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) Urodus parvula Edwards, 1881 Urodus perischias Meyrick, 1925 Urodus porphyrina Meyrick, 1932 Urodus praetextata Meyrick, 1913 Urodus procridias Meyrick, 1936 (from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)Meyrick E. 1936. Urodus pulvinata Meyrick, 1923 Urodus sanctipaulensis Strand, 1911 Urodus scythrochalca Meyrick, 1932 Urodus sordidata Zeller, 1877 Urodus spumescens Meyrick, 1925 Urodus staphylina Meyrick, 1932 Urodus subcaerulea Dognin, 1910 Urodus sympiestis Meyrick, 1925 Urodus tineiformis (Walker, 1856) (originally in Aperla) Urodus transverseguttata Zeller, 1877 Urodus triancycla Meyrick, 1931 Urodus venatella Busck, 1910 Urodus xiphura Meyrick, 1931 Wockia asperipunctella Bruand, 1850
References
Heppner, J. (1991). Faunal regions and the diversity of Lepidoptera. Tropical Lepidoptera, 2 (Suppl. 1): 1–85. Heppner, J. (1997). Wockia asperipunctella in North America (Lepidoptera: Urodidae: Galacticinae). Holarctic Lepidoptera, 4(2) Heppner, J. (1998). Classification of Lepidoptera. Part 1. Introduction. Holarctic Lepidoptera, 5 (Suppl. 1): 1–148. Kyrki, J. (1983). Adult abdominal sternum II in ditrysian tineoid superfamilies – morphology and phylogenetic significance (Lepidoptera). Annales Entomologia Fennica, 49: 89–9 Kyrki, J. (1988). The systematic position of Wockia Heinemann, 1870 and related genera (Lepidoptera: Ditrysia: Yponomeutidae auct.). Nota Lepidopterologica, 11: 45–69. Landry, J.-F. (1998). Additional Nearctic records of Wockia aspericpunctella, with notes on its distribution and structural variation (Lepidoptera: Urodidae). Holarctic Lepidoptera, 5(3): 9–13.
Sources Firefly Encyclopedia of Insects and Spiders, edited by Christopher O'Toole, , 2002. [Vernacular name] The systematic position of Wockia Heinemann, 1870, and related genera (Lepidoptera: Ditrysia: Yponomeutidae auct.). Nota Lepidopterologica, 11(1): 53.
External links
Tree of Life NHM Hosts Database Fauna Europaea Experts Wockia asperipunctella from Lepidoptera of Finland Moth Photographer's Group
Nuclear gene sequencing progress