Copromorphidae
| Copromorphidae | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Suborder: | Glossata |
| Infraorder: | Heteroneura |
| (unranked): | Ditrysia |
| Superfamily: | Copromorphoidea |
| Family: |
Copromorphidae Meyrick, 1905 |
| Genus | |
|
Species - see "Provisional list of species" |
|
| Diversity | |
| About 40 species | |
Species - see "Provisional list of species"
Copromorphidae, the "tropical fruitworm moths" is a family of insects in the lepidopteran order. These moths have broad, rounded forewings, and well-camouflaged scale patterns. Unlike Carposinidae the mouthparts include "labial palps" with the second rather than third segment the longest. The position of the enigmatic New Zealand genus Isonomeutis in this family in uncertain, as it lacks the flimsy cuticle of the pupa characteristic of other Copromorphoidea. With other unusual structural characteristics of the caterpillar and adult, it could represent the sister lineage of all other extant members of this superfamily (Dugdale et al., 1999). The genus Sisyroxena from Madagascar is also notable for its unusual venation and wing scale sockets (Dugdale et al., 1999).
The word Copromorphidae derives from the Ancient Greek words (copros) meaning "excrement" and (morphe) meaning "shape" or "appearance", a reference to the visual characteristics of the moths' camouflage.
These moths are widely distributed except the Palearctic region, occurring in Madagascar, India, South East Asia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, the Neotropics, with limited Temperate region coverage except that the genera Lotisma and Ellabella occur in North America and the latter also in China (Common, 1990). Over 20 belong to the genus Copromorpha occurring in Indo-Australia (Dugdale et al., 1999).
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