| Adelidae | ||||||||||||||||||
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 Adela reamurella, the Green Oak Longhorn Moth
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Diversity | ||||||||||||||||||
| Over 300 species | ||||||||||||||||||
| Subfamilies | ||||||||||||||||||
Nematopogoninae
Unassigned
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The "fairy long horn moths" are a family of primitive monotrysian moths in the order Lepidoptera. Most species of 'Adelidae are day-flying, sometimes swarming around the tips of branches with an undulating flight, with metallic patterns. Fairy moths have a wingspan of 4-28 millimeters and males often have especially long antennae 1-3 times as long as the forewing. They are widespread across the World and can be found over much of North America and Eurasia from April to June. 50 species occur in Europe[1] of which the most often noticed is the "Green Oak Longhorn" Adela reaumurella which can sometimes reach great abundance, and this peak is receding due to climate change (Kuchlein and Ellis, 2004). Adelidae are usually closely restricted to particular hostplants[2], in which the females insert their eggs or just lay among leaf litter, and the caterpillars make a case, completing their development on the ground. Fairy longhorn moths feed in sunshine on nectar from the flowers of herbaceous (woody) plants. The placement of the genus Tridentaforma in this family is tentative (Davis, 1999).
References
- Davis, D.R. (1999). The Monotrysian Heteroneura. Ch. 6, pp. 65-90 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.
- Kuchlein, J.H. and Ellis, W.N. (2004). Climate-induced changes in the microlepidoptera fauna of the Netherlands and the implications for nature conservation. Journal of Insect Conservation, 1(2): 73-80. Abstract
External links
- Tree of Life
- Fauna Europaea
- UK Adelidae key
- Available generic names at Natural History Museum Hosts database
- UK Adelinae
- UK Nematopogon
- Jeff's UK moths
- Adelidae at BugGuide.net
