Abstract
The external morphology and chaetotaxy of the larvae of Heterogynidae (Lepidoptera) are described in order to provide information of potential phylogenetic value for the reconstruction of the systematic relationships within the Zygaenoidea. The most outstanding characteristics of heterogynid larvae are their modified habitus during diapause, the presence of an epipharyngeal lamella, the shape of the prothoracic shield, the presence in the first instar of an organ of unknown function on the middorsum of the mesothorax ("Chapman's organ"), the absence of V2, V3 and Va on the head, the absence of V1 on the prothorax and the presence of two primary setae on the inner side of the proleg, the last trait representing an autapomorphy of the family. A number of possible synapomorphies with the Zygaenidae (e.g. presence of cuticular cavities) suggest a close relationship between these two families, but other larval and adult traits are shared only with the "Phaudinae" and limacodid-group families of the Zygaenoidea (viz. absence of V1 on the prothorax with the "Phaudinae", reduced proboscis and absence of ocelli with them all). Nevertheless, a lack of knowledge of the preimaginal instars of species from some zygaenoid families, and of the homology and polarity of given characters of groups within and outside the Zygaenoidea, hamper a thorough comparison of larvae.
Highlights
The lepidopterous family Heterogynidae Rambur, 1866 is mostly known for the peculiar life cycle of its members and currently only includes the western Palaearctic genus Heterogynis Rambur, 1837 (Zilli, 1998; Epstein et al, 1999)
The stripes are brownish in the first instar and become black after the first moult, giving rise to a characteristic black and yellow pattern that is interpreted as aposematic by most authors (e.g. Zilli & Racheli, 1990), Chapman (1902) considered it to be cryptic in H. paradoxa
The larval morphology allows one to define the Heterogynidae in terms of the presumptive autapomorphy that has been identified in the chaetotaxy, viz. presence of two primary setae on the inner side of the prolegs
Summary
The lepidopterous family Heterogynidae Rambur, 1866 is mostly known for the peculiar life cycle of its members and currently only includes the western Palaearctic genus Heterogynis Rambur, 1837 (Zilli, 1998; Epstein et al, 1999). Following the discovery of the first representative, viz. Heterogynis penella (Hübner, [1819]), the extreme sexual dimorphism and bizarre bionomics of Heterogynis attracted the attention of several early authors (e.g. Rambur, 1837; Graslin, 1850; Chenu, 1851-1853; Bruand, 1853; Schmidt, 1860). It was Chapman (1898, 1902, 1904, 1905, 1916) who first made detailed observations, often unrivalled, on the morphology and behaviour of H. penella, H. paradoxa Rambur, 1837 and H. canalensis Chapman, 1904. More modern contributions on the topic are by Daniel & Dierl (1966), Minet (1986), Naumann (1988), Zilli and co-workers (Zilli et al, 1988b; Zilli & Racheli, 1990), Freina & Witt (1990a, 1990b), Guenin (1997a) and Freina (2003a, 2003b)
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