Wasp-moths
Guides
Erebidae
Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths
Erebidae is among the largest families of moths by species count, encompassing diverse macromoth groups formerly classified across multiple families. The family includes underwings (Catocala), tiger moths and wasp moths (Arctiinae), tussock moths (Lymantriinae), litter moths (Herminiinae), fruit-piercing moths (Calpinae), and snout moths (Hypeninae). Adults range dramatically in size from 6 mm to over 300 mm wingspan. Coloration spans from cryptic browns and grays to vivid aposematic patterns. The family was reconstituted in 2010 through phylogenetic studies that revealed the former Noctuidae to be paraphyletic, with Arctiinae, Lymantriinae, and related lineages more closely related to each other than to core noctuids.
Pseudocharis
lesser wasp moth (for P. minima)
Pseudocharis is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae, subfamily Arctiinae, tribe Euchromiina. It was erected by Herbert Druce in 1884. The genus contains approximately nine described species distributed primarily in the Neotropics, with at least one species (P. minima) occurring in North America. Species in this genus exhibit wasp-mimicking coloration, a characteristic trait of the Euchromiina.