Lymantriidae
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
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Lymantriidae is a family of moths with about 2500 known species found in all parts of the world.
Adult moths of this family do not feed. They usually have muted colours (browns and greys), although some are white, and tend to be very hairy. The larvae are also hairy and in many species the hairs break off very easily and are extremely irritating to the skin. This highly effective defence serves the moth throughout its life cycle as the hairs are incorporated into the cocoon, from where they are collected and stored by the emerging adult female at the tip of the abdomen and used to camouflage and protect the eggs as they are laid. In the larvae of some species, hairs are gathered in dense tufts along the back and this gives them the common name of tussocks.
Species
Species include:
- Brown-tail (Euproctis chrysorrhoea)
- Yellow-tail (Euproctis similis)
- Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar)
References
- Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
- Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984
