Abstract
The larval morphology of the western Palaearctic zygaenid species Aglaope infausta (Linnaeus, 1767) is described and figured in detail. Unlike other members of the zygaenid subfamily Chalcosiinae, the last instar larva of A. infausta has numerous secondary setae and a multitude of cuticular cavities that are devoid of openings. The other chalcosiine genera have primary setae and cuticular cavities with specialized openings through which a defensive secretion can be discharged. Imaginal characters, on the other hand, provide strong evidence for placing Aglaope in the Chalcosiinae.
Highlights
The composition of the ditrysian moth family Zygaen idae has changed considerably over the years and is still in a state of flux
Subse quently, the Charideinae were transferred from the Zygaenidae to the Thyrididae (Minet, 1991), and both the Anomoeotinae and Himantopterinae were raised to family rank by Fletcher & Nye (1982)
The Phaudinae will probably have to be excluded from the Zygaenidae (Fänger et al, 1999), since they obviously share a number of apomorphic characters with the families Aididae, Dalceridae, Limacodidae, Megalopygidae and Somabrachyidae, together with which they form a large clade within the Zygaenoidea for which the informal term limacodid group has been proposed (Epstein, 1996)
Summary
The composition of the ditrysian moth family Zygaen idae has changed considerably over the years and is still in a state of flux. In 1954, Alberti, the pioneer of zygaenid systematics, recognized seven subfamilies, the Anomoeotinae, Chalcosiinae, Charideinae, Himantopterinae, Phaudinae, Procridinae, and Zygaeninae. The isolated South East Asian genus Callizygaena Felder, 1874, was transferred from the Procridinae to the newly established subfamily Callizygaeninae (Tarmann, 1994), whose inclusion in the Zygaenidae still remains to be verified. Four subfamilies, the Chalcosiinae, Procridinae, Zygaeninae and tentatively the little-known Callizygaeninae are currently recognized as zygaenids. The zygaenid subfamily Chalcosiinae Hampson, (1893), comprising some 300 species, is restricted to the eastern Palaearctic and Indo-Australian regions, the western Palaearctic genus Aglaope Latreille, 1809, being a remarkable exception (Alberti, 1954; Naumann et al, 1999). As a contribution towards a better-founded concept of the subfamily Zygaenidae, a comprehensive account of the larval morphology of A. infausta is pre sented in this paper
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