Thaumetopoea

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Thaumetopoea
A Thaumetopoea species, pine processionary caterpillars
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Notodontidae
Subfamily: Thaumetopoeinae
Genus: Thaumetopoea
Hübner, 1820
Type species
Phalaena processionea[1]
Synonyms
  • Cnethocampa Stephens, 1828
  • Traumatocampa Wallengren, 1871
  • Helianthocampa de Freina & Witt, 1985

Thaumetopoea is a genus of moths belonging to the family Notodontidae. It was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1820.

In their caterpillar form, they bear the vernacular name of processionary because their gregarious larvae conspicuously move in single file. The adults live a few days without feeding.

Some Thaumetopoea species, for example Thaumetopoea pityocampa, are expanding their range towards higher latitudes and altitudes due to the current climate warming.[2] The caterpillars carry urticating hairs which cause health problems in humans.[3]

Systematics[edit]

The etymology of the name of the genus is from the Greek words θαυματόεις (thaumatóeis), "marvellous",[dubious ] and ποιεῖν (poieîn), "to create", thus meaning "creating wonder", i.e. "looking remarkable".[4][5] This explains why the name is sometimes spelled Thaumatopoea, i.e. in the Latinized form of θαυματοποιία thaumatopoiia "marvellous achievement" (cf. θαῦμα thauma "marvel, wonder").[6][7]

The genus Thaumetopoea contains the following species:

Thaumetopoea pityocampa, imago

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kirby, W. F. (1892). Sphinges and Bombyces. A synonymic catalogue of Lepidoptera Heterocera (Moths). Vol. 1. London: Gurney & Jackson. p. 591.
  2. ^ Gschloessl, Bernhard; Vogel, Heiko; Burban, Christian; Heckel, David; Streiff, Réjane; Kerdelhué, Carole (2014). "Comparative analysis of two phenologically divergent populations of the pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) by de novo transcriptome sequencing". Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 46: 31–42. doi:10.1016/j.ibmb.2014.01.005. PMID 24468684.
  3. ^ Battisti, Andrea; Larsson, Stig; Roques, Alain (31 January 2017). "Processionary Moths and Associated Urtication Risk: Global Change–Driven Effects". Annual Review of Entomology. 62 (1): 323–342. doi:10.1146/annurev-ento-031616-034918. ISSN 0066-4170. PMID 27860523.
  4. ^ Bailly, Anatole (1981). Abrégé du dictionnaire grec français. Paris: Hachette. ISBN 2010035283. OCLC 461974285.
  5. ^ Bailly, Anatole. "Greek-French dictionary online". www.tabularium.be. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  6. ^ θαυματοποιία, θαῦμα. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.
  7. ^ Quicke, Donald L. J. (22 December 2014). The Braconid and Ichneumonid Parasitoid Wasps: Biology, Systematics, Evolution and Ecology. John Wiley & Sons. p. 515. ISBN 9781118907054.