Book Review: A revision of the genus Calliteara Butler, 1881 (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Lymantriinae)

Abstract

I was surprised when I first heard that a book (Fig. 1) like this would be published and even more so when I had a chance to see the first versions, with such a huge diversity of species in the revised genus. The introduction includes general characteristics of the genus, a list of newly described species, and all synonyms and combinations. Then it continues fluently into a systematic part dedicated to the general morphology of each developmental stage. The genus Calliteara Butler, 1881 belongs to the tribe Orgyiini and occurs across Palaearctic, Oriental, Australian, and Oceanic Regions. A list of 70 already described species was extended to number 116. The synonymization of the genus Iropoca Turner, 1904 and four other species is very important. Likewise, in many of the other genera of Lymantriinae, we can also find prominent sexual dimorphism in size and wing pattern as well as other more specific features. Moreover, males possess a modified 8th tergum and a unique structure of the valvae. Based on these characteristics, all described species were grouped by Holloway into seven species groups (such as the