Lymantriidae

Definition

A former family-level taxon of moths now classified as the subfamily Lymantriinae within the family Erebidae (Lepidoptera). Historically erected by George Hampson in 1893 to accommodate tussock moths and their relatives, the group was downranked following molecular phylogenetic revisions that consolidated numerous noctuoid families into an expanded Erebidae. Members retain distinctive morphological traits including reduced proboscises, dense hair-like setae in larvae, and often prominent sexual dimorphism in adults.

Etymology

From the type genus Lymantria (Greek lymantria, 'destroyer of wood'), with the family suffix -idae.

Example

The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, was long placed in Lymantriidae before that family was synonymized with Lymantriinae; its larvae remain economically significant forest defoliators in North America and Europe.

Synonyms

• Lymantriinae (current rank)

Related Terms

• Erebidae
• Lymantria
• Noctuoidea
• tussock moth
• Lymantria dispar
• Lymantria monacha

Usage Notes

Now obsolete at family rank; modern literature uses Lymantriinae. The name persists in some databases and older literature. Not to be confused with Lymantriidae as a fungal species epithet (Metarhizium lymantriidae, a pathogen of these moths).