Opostegidae
{{Short description|Family of moths}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Opostega salaciella.jpg
| image_caption = Opostega salaciella
| taxon = Opostegidae
| authority = Meyrick, 1893
| diversity = About 7 genera and 214 species by late 2013
| subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies and Genera
| subdivision =
Oposteginae
- Neopostega 5 species
- Opostega 60 species
- Pseudopostega 116 species
Opostegoidinae
- Notiopostega 1 species
- Eosopostega 2 species
- Opostegoides 24 species
- Paralopostega 6 species
}}
Opostegidae or "white eyecap moths" is a family of insects in the order Lepidoptera that is characterised by particularly large eyecaps over the compound eyes (see also Nepticulidae, Bucculatricidae, Lyonetiidae). Opostegidae are most diverse in the New World tropics (83 described species, representing 42% of the world total).
These small, whitish moths are probably miners in plant stems. Examples of host plants used in Europe are Lycopus, Mentha and Rumex,{{cite web |url= http://internt.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/research-curation/projects/hostplants/list.dsml?searchPageURL=browse.dsml&Family=Opostegidae&Genus=&Species=&Country=&sort=Family |title= HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants |year= 2007 |work= Natural History Museum |access-date=26 October 2010}} but their biology is poorly known. The subfamily Oposteginae comprises 87 described species and Opostegoidinae includes 15 described species.Davis D.R. (1989). Generic revision of the Opostegidae, with a synoptic catalog of the world's species (Lepidoptera: Nepticuloidea). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 478: 1–97 [http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/Zoology/pdf_hi/SCTZ-0478.pdf online here]Davis, D.R. (1999). The Monotrysian Heteroneura. Ch. 6, pp. 65–90 in Kristensen, N.P. (Ed.). Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies. Volume 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbuch der Zoologie. Eine Naturgeschichte der Stämme des Tierreiches / Handbook of Zoology. A Natural History of the phyla of the Animal Kingdom. Band / Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta Teilband / Part 35: 491 pp. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York
References
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External links
{{Commons}}
{{Wikispecies|Opostegidae}}
- {{cite web |url= http://tolweb.org/Opostegidae |title= Opostegidae |date= 1 January 2003 |work= Tree of Life Web Project |access-date=26 October 2010}}
- {{cite web |url=http://jeffhiggott.topcities.com/lepidoptera/systematic_list/Opostegidae/opostegidae1.html |title= Opostegidae |author= Higgott, Jeff|work= Jeff Higgott's UK Lepidoptera |access-date=26 October 2010}}
- {{cite web |url= http://www.microleps.org/Guide/Opostegidae/index.html |title= Family Opostegidae |work= Microleps.org |access-date=26 October 2010}}
- [http://delta-intkey.com/britin/lep/www/opostegi.htm Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the families of Lepidoptera. Version: 29 December 2011] Detailed description and figures including wing venation.
{{Lepidoptera}}
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Category:Taxa named by Edward Meyrick
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