Introduction

[adapted from Edwards, 1996]

This endemic Australian family was separated from the Notodontidae by Miller (1991) who included only Oenosandra Newman. Turner (1922) included Oenosandra Newman in the Thaumetopoeinae while including Discophlebia R. Fielder in the Notodontinae. Turner (1929) added Diceratucha Swinhoe, a genus formerly placed in the Geometridae, to the Notodontidae. Kirkakoff (1970) placed Oenosandra, Discophlebia and Diceratucha together, illustrating similar male genitalia, in the Thaumetopoeidae. Common (1990) and Nielson & Common (1991) also included these genera in the Thaumetopoeidae. Recent studies of noctuoid phylogeny using adult and larval morphology and molecular evidence have unambiguously retained Oenosandridae as a discrete lineage in the Noctuoidea (Kitching & Rawlins 1998; Lafontaine & Fibiger 2006; Zahiri et al. 2011).

Some biological information is known for Oenosandra and Discophlebia but has not been described in detail. The larvae of both feed on Eucalyptus.

General References

Common, I.F.B. 1990. Moths of Australia. Carlton : Melbourne University Press vi+535 pp., 32 pls.

Edwards, E.D. 1996. Oenosandridae. p. 271 in Nielsen, E.S., Edwards, E.D. & Rangsi, T.V. (eds). Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 4 xiv 529 pp. & CD-ROM.

Kitching, I.J. & Rawlins, J.E. 1998. The Noctuoidea. pp. 355-401 in Kristensen, N.P. (ed.). Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies. Volume 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbuch der Zoologie/Handbook of Zoology. Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta Part 35. i-x. Berlin : Walter de Gruyter Vol. 1(35).

Lafontaine, J.D. & Fibiger, M. 2006. Revised higher classification of the Noctuoidea (Lepidoptera). The Canadian Entomologist 138(5): 610-635

Miller, J.S. 1991. Cladistics and classification of the Notodontidae (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) based on larval and adult morphology. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 204: 1-230

Nielsen, E.S. & Common, I.F.B. 1991. Lepidoptera (Moths and Butterflies). pp. 817-915, pls 7, 8 in CSIRO (ed.). The Insects of Australia. 2 vols. Carlton : Melbourne University Press xiii + vi + 1075 pp., 8 pls.

Turner, A.J. 1922. Revision of Australian Lepidoptera. Saturniadae, Bombycidae, Eupterotidae, Notodontidae. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 47: 348-390 [15 Dec. 1922]

Turner, A.J. 1929. Revision of Australian Oenochromidae (Lepidoptera). I. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 54: 463-504

Zahiri, R., Kitching, I.J., Lafontaine, J.D., Mutanen, M., Kaila, L., Holloway, J.D. & Wahlberg, N. 2011. A new molecular phylogeny offers hope for a stable family level classification of the Noctuoidea (Lepidoptera). Zoologica Scripta 40: 158-173

History of changes

• Diceratucha Swinhoe, C. 1904. On some new butterflies and moths from the east. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 7 14: 417-424 [133].

  Type species:

   Oenone xenopis Lower, 1902 (Australia: New South Wales, Broken Hill) by original designation.

Distribution

States

New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia

IBRA

NSW, SA, Vic, WA: Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Coolgardie (COO), Gawler (GAW), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Nullarbor (NUL), Riverina (RIV)

History of changes

• Oenone xenopis Lower, O.B. 1902. Descriptions of new genera and species of Australian Lepidoptera. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 26: 212-247 [227].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) SAMA 31-001939 ♂, Broken Hill (Australia: New South Wales).

Distribution

States

New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia

IBRA

NSW, SA, Vic, WA: Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Coolgardie (COO), Gawler (GAW), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Nullarbor (NUL), Riverina (RIV)

History of changes

• Discophlebia Felder, R. in Felder, R. & Rogenhofer, A.F. 1874. [1874-1875]. Lepidoptera. Heft IV, V. Atlas der Heterocera Sphingida. Noctuida. Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859. (Zoologischer Theil). Wien. Band 2 (Abtheilung 2). vi+548 pp. 74 pls. [pl. 96, fig. 8].

  Type species:

   Discophlebia catocalina R. Felder, 1874 (Australia: [South Australia], Adelaide) by monotypy.
• Themerastis Turner, A.J. 1903. Revision of Australian Lepidoptera. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 28: 42-92 [63].

  Type species:

   Thermerastis celaena Turner, 1903 (Australia: Victoria, Melbourne) by monotypy.

History of changes

• Discophlebia blosyrodes Turner, A.J. 1903. Revision of Australian Lepidoptera. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 28: 42-92 [67].

  Type data:

   Holotype ANIC ♀, N. Queensland, Townsville.

History of changes

• Discophlebia catocalina Felder, R. in Felder, R. & Rogenhofer, A.F. 1874. [1874-1875]. Lepidoptera. Heft IV, V. Atlas der Heterocera Sphingida. Noctuida. Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859. (Zoologischer Theil). Wien. Band 2 (Abtheilung 2). vi+548 pp. 74 pls. [pl. 107, fig. 8].

History of changes

• Themerastis celaena Turner, A.J. 1903. Revision of Australian Lepidoptera. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 28: 42-92 [64].

History of changes

• Discophlebia lipauges Turner, A.J. 1917. Lepidopterological gleanings. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 29: 70-106 [74].

History of changes

• Discophlebia lucasii Rosenstock, R. 1885. Notes on Australian Lepidoptera, with descriptions of new species. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 5 16: 376-385, 421-443 [421].

History of changes

• Nycteropa Turner, A.J. 1941. New species of Lepidoptera from the Barnard collection. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 12: 40-52 [40].

  Type species:

   Nycteropa subovalis Turner, 1941 (Australia: Queensland, Injune) by monotypy.
• Oxymetopa Turner, A.J. 1943. New species of Lepidoptera from the Barnard collection. No. 2. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 12: 105-116 [105].

  Type species:

   Oxymetopa phaeogramma Turner, 1943 by monotypy (Australia: Queensland, Talwood).

History of changes

• Nycteropa subovalis Turner, A.J. 1941. New species of Lepidoptera from the Barnard collection. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 12: 40-52 [41].

  Type data:

   Holotype QMBA T8108 ♀, Queensland, Injune.
• Oxymetopa phaeogramma Turner, A.J. 1943. New species of Lepidoptera from the Barnard collection. No. 2. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 12: 105-116 [105].

  Type data:

   Holotype QMBA T6570 ♂, Queensland, Talwood.

History of changes

• Oenosandra Newman, E. 1856. Characters of a few Australian Lepidoptera, collected by Mr. Thomas R. Oxley. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 2 3(8): 281-300, pl. 18 [Date published April 1856] [286].

  Type species:

   Oenosandra boisduvalii Newman, [April] 1856 (Australia: Victoria, Mt Alexander Range, 80 miles from Melbourne) by monotypy.
• Oenosanda Walker, F. 1856. Lepidoptera Heterocera. List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum 7: 1508-1808 [incl. Index to parts 1-7] [published May 1856] [1713] [emendation].
• Lomatosticha Möschler, H.B. 1872. Neue exotische Schmetterlinge. Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung 33: 336-362 [358].

  Type species:

   Lomatosticha nigrostriata Möschler, 1872 ([Australia]: Melbourne) by monotypy.
• Pterygosoma Felder, R. in Felder, R. & Rogenhofer, A.F. 1874. [1874-1875]. Lepidoptera. Heft IV, V. Atlas der Heterocera Sphingida. Noctuida. Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859. (Zoologischer Theil). Wien. Band 2 (Abtheilung 2). vi+548 pp. 74 pls. [pl. 9, fig. 7] [junior homonym; Pterygosoma Peters, 1849].

  Type species:

   Pterygosoma squamipunctum R. Felder, 1874 (Australia) by monotypy.

General References

Edwards, E.D. 1996. Noctuidae. pp. 291-333 in Nielsen, E.S., Edwards, E.D. & Rangsi, T.V. (eds). Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 4 xiv 529 pp. & CD-ROM. [271] (Note #509: Oenosandra was attributed to Walker by Watson, Fletcher and Nye (1980). Newman (1856) stated that he was adopting Walker's generic names and attributed the genus name to Walker. However, Walker had no part in the description of Oenosandra boisduvalii Newman upon which the validity of the genus depends. The situation is no different from the use by an author of a manuscript name. The genus Termessa Newman in the Arctiidae is an identical case from the same publication and that genus was attributed correctly to Newman by Watson, Fletcher and Nye (1980). The authorship and spelling of Oenosandra Newman have often been quoted incorrectly in Australia. This is surprising since Lower (1897) gave them correctly and gave correct reasons)

History of changes

• Oenosandra boisduvalii Newman, E. 1856. Characters of a few Australian Lepidoptera, collected by Mr. Thomas R. Oxley. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 2 3(8): 281-300, pl. 18 [Date published April 1856] [286].
• Oenosanda duponchelii Walker, F. 1856. Lepidoptera Heterocera. List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum 7: 1508-1808 [incl. Index to parts 1-7] [published May 1856] [1713].
• Teara terminalis Walker, F. 1856. Lepidoptera Heterocera. List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum 7: 1508-1808 [incl. Index to parts 1-7] [published May 1856] [1713].
• Teara luctipennis Walker, F. 1869. Characters of undescribed Lepidoptera Heterocera. London : E.W. Janson 112 pp. [66].
• Lomatosticha nigrostriata Möschler, H.B. 1872. Neue exotische Schmetterlinge. Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung 33: 336-362 [359].
• Pterygosoma squamipunctum Felder, R. in Felder, R. & Rogenhofer, A.F. 1874. [1874-1875]. Lepidoptera. Heft IV, V. Atlas der Heterocera Sphingida. Noctuida. Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859. (Zoologischer Theil). Wien. Band 2 (Abtheilung 2). vi+548 pp. 74 pls. [pl. 98, fig. 7].
• Oenosanda duponcheli Tepper, J.G.O. 1890. Common Native Insects of South Australia: a popular guide to South Australian entomology. Part 2. Lepidoptera, or butterflies and moths of Adelaide. Adelaide : Wigg & Son iv 65 pp. [20] [subsequent misspelling].

Miscellaneous Literature Names

• Oenosanda duponcheli Newman, 1856 [subsequent mispelling]. —
  Tepper, J.G.O. 1890. Common Native Insects of South Australia: a popular guide to South Australian entomology. Part 2. Lepidoptera, or butterflies and moths of Adelaide. Adelaide : Wigg & Son iv 65 pp. [20]
• Oenosanda boisduvali Newman, 1856 [subsequent misspelling]. —
  Strand, E. 1929. Appendix [Thaumetopoeinae]. Pp. 375-381, pls 46, 56c, 57 in Seitz, A. (ed.). The Macrolepidoptera of the World. 10. Bombyces and Sphinges of the Indo-Australian Region. 2 vols. Stuttgart : Alfred Kernen Verlag 909 pp., 100 pls. [377]

History of changes