Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

Museums

Regional Maps

Family ZYGAENIDAE


Compiler and date details

E.D. (Ted) Edwards (after Tarmann 2005)

Introduction

The Australian Zygaenidae are brightly coloured, resembling Hymenoptera or Ctenuchinae (Arctiidae), or shining metalic green or blue. Earlier authors (Jordan 1908–11; Alberti 1954) placed them in several subfamilies or tribes: Alberti (1954) placing them in the tribes Callizygaenini (Hestiochora Meyrick and Thyrassia Butler) and Procridini (Pollanisus Walker and Turneriprocris Byrk (as Neoprocris Jordan)) of the Procridinae. Tarmann (1994) showed that all Australian species belong to the tribe Artonini in the subfamliy Procridinae. The Callizygaenini as used by Alberti (1954) and currently treated as a subfamily are confined to South and South-East Asia and are absent from Australia. The genus Burlacena Walker, previously included in the Procridinae (Nielsen & Common 1991), is more closely related to the Lacturidae, where it is placed here, or perhaps the Phaudinae (Naumann & Tarmann, unpublished).

The world fauna was listed in Lepidopterorum Catalogus by Byrk (1936) {}and the Indoaustralian fauna in Seitz's Macrolepidoptera of the World by Jordon (1908-11). The Australian Zygaenidae were revised by Meyrick (1886c) and Turner (1926c). The Australian fauna was revised comprehensively by Tarmann (2005).

Forty-three species are described from Australian, and approximately eight undescribed species are known. The family is widely distributed throughout Australia, except for the arid centre and almost all Australian species are endemic. A few species have close relatives in New Guinea, Fiji and South-East Asia. Some biological information is provided by McFarland (1970, 1979), Common (1990) and Tarmann (1994){} and Tarmann (2005). All Australian Zygaenidae are resistant to cyanide.

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
29-Jul-2013 29-Jul-2013 MODIFIED
29-Jul-2013 23-Jul-2013 MODIFIED
12-Feb-2010 (import)