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
59.
Notodontidae
– prominents
Generally medium-sized (
30–60 mm
wingspan) moths with relatively robust bodies, although the family is structurally and phenotypically diverse. The antennae are bipectinate in the males and simple or narrowly pectinate in the females. Larvae are equally diverse in structure and color; those of many genera have unique and bizarre postures and structures. Most notodontids feed on the foliage of woody deciduous plants.
There are approximately 2 800 described species of notodontids globally (Kitching and Rawlins 1999). Th e majority of the 140 North American species occur in eastern hardwood forests.
Alberta
, with 24 species, has relatively few notodontids. Th ere are currently no comprehensive treatments of the North American
Notodontidae
, although higher-level systematics were treated by
Miller (1991)
. The genus
Gluphisia
was revised by
Franclemont (1941a)
.
Forbes (1948)
covered most of the species listed here, and
Covell (1984)
and
Handfield (1999)
illustrated most adults.
Wagner (2005)
and
Ives and Wong (1988)
included excellent images of larvae of some AB species.
Schintlmeister (2008)
provides a comprehensive treatment of the Palaearctic fauna, which includes a number of Asian and Eurasian species very similar to (and in some cases conspecific with) some of the North American species.