Sematurinae


Sematurinae is a subfamily of moths in the family Sematuridae represented by at least 29 species in the Neotropics.

Taxonomy, classification and identification

Sematurinae has three principal genera, and possibly another two. The hindwing of Coronidia is distinguished by an iridescent blue band, but Homidiana characteristically has pink, orange or yellow markings, especially in females. The genus Mania is large, brown and tailed, resembling to some extent the genus Lyssa. The approximately twelve other sematurid species in the genera Anurapteryx and Lonchotura are placed here for now but may not belong in this subfamily; one species, Anurapteryx crenulata reaches the subtropics of Arizona. The relationships within Sematuridae clearly need deeper investigation.
The adult moths of Sematurinae are either day or night flying, depending on the genus and have the wings outspread at rest and the genus Sematura displays impressive eyespots at the hindwing tails.

Biology

The biology of Sematurinae is poorly known. The larva of Homidiana was illustrated by Westwood who incorrectly placed it among Coronidia, and was described by Anton Hermann Fassl. From 1995 to 1998, caterpillars were found in Costa Rica. Sematurine eggs have been described by Minet and Scoble, and are upright, high, with vertical and finer transverse ribs. The caterpillars of Homidiana subpicta have rows of black spines either side of the dorsal midline and five pairs of prolegs. The larva of Coronidia orithea lacks such spines, and is well camouflaged like a lichen-covered twig and has realistic-looking false eyes making it resemble a predatory spider. The larvae of Mania were reared in Costa Rica in 2001 and are a bit similar to those of Coronidia being well camouflaged but bearing small projections rather than long spines one the dorsal surface. Like some Uraniidae, pupation occurs on the ground among debris. The pupa of Homidiana has a long projecting proboscis "sheath" with eight hooklets at the cremaster tip.

Larval host plants

The caterpillar of Coronidia orithea is so far only known to feed on mistletoes. Homidiana subpicta feeds on a more diverse range of plants, including the families Araliaceae, Gesneriaceae, Piperaceae, Primulaceae, Solanaceae, Onagraceae and Theophrastaceae. "Sematura luna" reared in 2001 whose well-camouflaged larva is reported to feed on the legume Pentaclethra macroloba and on Syzygium longifolium.

Provisional list of species (based on LepIndex)