An annotated list of the Lepidoptera of Alberta, Canada
Author
Pohl, Greg
Northern Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Edmonton ,, Canada
Author
Anweiler, Gary
University of Alberta Strickland Entomology Museum ,, Canada
Author
Schmidt, Christian
Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa, Canada
Author
Kondla, Norbert
Calgary ,, Canada
text
ZooKeys
2010
2010-03-05
38
38
1
549
journal article
10.3897/zookeys.38.383
aa97d560-1969-4b79-93bb-2614b7835c0e
1313–2970
576629
54.
Uraniidae
– swallowtail moths
Mostly small (
15–20 mm
wingspan) moths reminiscent of geometrids. Most North American species have drably colored wings, but several tropical species, including one stray in the southern
United States
, are very large, brightly colored species that are reminiscent of papilionids. Th e family is defined by characters of the abdominal tympanum and wing venation. Some species, including the AB species, have notched hindwings. Th ese moths exhibit a unique resting behaviour: the forewings are outstretched and appressed to the substrate, while the hindwings are held partially folded along the side of the abdomen. Larvae are often gregarious in a web, and they feed on a variety of plants.
Approximately 700 species of
Uraniidae
are known worldwide, primarily from the tropics. Nine species are known in North America; one of these occurs in AB. North American species have not been revised recently; the sole AB species was illustrated by
Covell (1984)
.