Eriocraniidae

• Main Authors: Pohl, Greg, Anweiler, Gary, Schmidt, Christian, Kondla, Norbert
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2010
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Eriocraniidae; Canada; Spence; Lac la Biche
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3788854; https://zenodo.org/record/3788854

1. Eriocraniidae – sparkling archaic sun moths Minute (8–13 mm wingspan) moths with vestigial mandibles. The elongate–oval wings are often iridescent and are covered with long, hairlike scales. Th e wings are usually held like a tent over the body when at rest. Th is group can be separated from most other moths by the vestigial mandibles, and from the Acanthopteroctetidae by the presence of ocelli. Adults are diurnal, and most species fly early in the spring. Larvae are leaf blotch miners. Twenty-four species of eriocraniids are known worldwide, all from the Holarctic. Th irteen species occur in North America; only one is known from AB. The family was revised by Davis (1978a); a few more species may await discovery. 1 * R Eriocrania semipurpurella (Stephens, 1834) M Apr – L May – B – T: Davis (1978a) L: Pohl et al. (2005) C: NFRC, UASM Acanthopteroctetoidea 2. Acanthopteroctetidae – archaic sun moths Small (11–16 mm wingspan) slender moths with vestigial mandibles. Adults often resemble small caddisflies, but may be brightly marked. Th ey can be separated from most other moths by the vestigial mandibles, and from the Eriocraniidae by the absence of ocelli. Little is known of the biology of this group; one California species is a leafminer on Ceanothus spp. (Rhamnaceae). Five species of acanthopteroctetids are known worldwide; four of these are restricted to western North America. One species is known from AB, and another is likely to be found here. Th e family was revised by Davis (1978a); a few more species may await discovery. 1.1 * P Acanthopteroctetes tripunctata Braun, 1921 Jul M – – T: Davis (1978a) 2 * R Acanthopteroctetes bimaculata Davis, 1969 E Jun m B – T: Davis (1978a) L: Pohl et al. (2004b) C: NFRC Hepialoidea : Published as part of Pohl, Greg, Anweiler, Gary, Schmidt, Christian & Kondla, Norbert, 2010, An annotated list of the Lepidoptera of Alberta, Canada, pp. 1-549 in ZooKeys 38 (38) on pages 48-49, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.38.383, http://zenodo.org/record/576629 : {"references": ["Davis DR (1978 a) A revision of the North American moths of the superfamily Eriocranioidea with the proposal of a new family, Acanthopteroctetidae (Lepidoptera). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 251: 1 - 131.", "Pohl GR, Bird CD, Landry J-F, Anweiler GG (2005) New records of microlepidoptera in Alberta, Canada. Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 59: 61 - 82.", "Pohl GR, Langor DW, Landry J-F, Spence JR (2004 b) Lepidoptera of the Boreal Mixedwood Forest near Lac La Biche, Alberta, including new provincial records. Canadian Field-Naturalist 118: 530 - 549."]}