Galacticidae

Taxobox
name = Galacticidae
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Lepidoptera
subordo = Glossata
cohorto = Myoglossata
subcohorto = Neolepidoptera
infraordo = Heteroneura
unranked_familia = Ditrysia
superfamilia = Galacticoidea [see Note]
superfamilia_authority = Dugdale et al. (1998)
familia = Galacticidae
familia_authority = Minet, 1986
diversity = About 17 species
diversity_link = Lepidopteran diversity
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Bharlutia" Amsel, 1935 "Galactica" Walsingham, 1911 "Homadaula" Lower, 1899 "Zarcinia" Chrétien, 1915 ?"Tanaoctena" Turner, 1913

Galacticidae is a recently recognised and enigmatic family of insects in the lepidopteran order. These are moderate sized moths are 8-17 mm. in wingspan and have previously been embedded within several lepidopteran superfamilies (Tineoidea: Psychidae, Urodoidea, Sesioidea and in several families of Yponomeutoidea), but Galacticidae is currently placed as its own superfamily at the base of the natural group Apoditrysia (Dugdale et al., 1999 [1998] ; Mey, 2004).

Note: the superfamily was unintentionally called "Galaticoidea" in Dugdale et al. (1999) [1998] .

The relationships of Galacticidae need reassessment with new characters including DNA data [http://www.leptree.net/Homadaula_anisocentra] . The genus "Homadaula" looks remarkably like the yponomeutid genera "Prays" and "Atemelia" and some species are reminiscent of "Small Ermine" moths. Despite the spined abdominal segments of the pupae and a few other characters (Minet, 1986) some possess structural similarities to yponomeutids as well and have similar larval behaviour [http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_hfrr/extensn/problems/mimosa.htm] so their removal from the Yponomeutoidea has been questioned (Mey, 2004).

The family is distributed in the Old World from Africa and Madagascar to Asia, Australia and New Caledonia. The richest genus is "Homadaula" with eight species. The "Mimosa Webworm" "Homadaula anisocentra" is a pest of ornamental plants [http://internt.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/research-curation/projects/hostplants/list.dsml?searchPageURL=index.dsml&Familyqtype=starts+with&Family=&PFamilyqtype=starts+with&PFamily=&Genusqtype=starts+with&Genus=Homadaula&PGenusqtype=starts+with&PGenus=&Speciesqtype=starts+with&Species=&PSpeciesqtype=starts+with&PSpecies=&Country=&sort=Family] , which has been introduced to Eastern North America (Moriuti, 1963; Dugdale et al., 1999).

References

*Dugdale, J.S., Kristensen, N.P., Robinson, G.S. and Scoble, M.J. (1999) [1998] . The smaller microlepidoptera grade superfamilies, Ch.13., pp. 217-232 in Kristensen, N.P. (Ed.). "Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies". Volume 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbuch der Zoologie. Eine Naturgeschichte der Stämme des Tierreiches / Handbook of Zoology. A Natural History of the phyla of the Animal Kingdom. Band / Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta Teilband / Part 35: 491 pp. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York.
*Mey, W. (2004). Galacticidae (Ditrysia incertae sedis). "Esperiana" 1: 91-102.
*Minet, J. (1986). Ébauche d'une classification moderne de l'ordre des Lépidoptères. "Alexanor" 14(7): 291-313.
*Moriuti, S. (1963). Remarks on the "Paraprays anisocentra" (Meyrick, 1922) (Plutellidae), with descriptions of its larva and pupa. "Transactions of the Lepidopterological Society of Japan", 14(3): 52-59.

External links

* [http://www.ento.csiro.au/gallery/moths/Galacticidae CSIRO] Gallery. Six images.
* [http://tolweb.org/Galacticidae Tree of Life]
* [http://internt.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/research-curation/projects/hostplants/list.dsml?searchPageURL=index.dsml&Familyqtype=starts+with&Family=&PFamilyqtype=starts+with&PFamily=&Genusqtype=starts+with&Genus=Homadaula&PGenusqtype=starts+with&PGenus=&Speciesqtype=starts+with&Species=&PSpeciesqtype=starts+with&PSpecies=&Country=&sort=Family Natural History Museum hosts database]
* [http://internt.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/research-curation/projects/lepindex/list.dsml?searchPageURL=indexadv.dsml&UserID=&UserName=&SCIENTIFIC_NAME_on_cardqtype=starts+with&SCIENTIFIC_NAME_on_card=&Current_superfamilyqtype=starts+with&Current_superfamily=&Original_Authorqtype=starts+with&Original_Author=&Current_familyqtype=starts+with&Current_family=Galacticidae&Original_Year=&Current_subfamilyqtype=starts+with&Current_subfamily=&Current_rank_of_name=&Current_tribeqtype=starts+with&Current_tribe=&OriginalRank=&Current_genusqtype=starts+with&Current_genus=&ZooRegion=&Distrib=&Distribqtype=contains&recLimit=30&sort=SCIENTIFIC_NAME_on_card Lepindex Available Names]
* [http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/pheronet/ins/homadaniso.html Pheromones of "Homadaula anisocentra" Accessed 13 March 2007]
* [http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_hfrr/extensn/problems/mimosa.htm Larval webs Accessed 13 March 2007]
* [http://www.origins.tv/Entomology/moths/300/2353/2353.htm "Homadaula anisocentra" resting posture from Bob Patterson's Entomology Hobby Page Accessed 13 March 2007]

(Lepidoptera)