The Drepanidae are a family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

s with about 1000 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 recorded worldwide. They are generally divided in three subfamilies (Minet and Scoble, 1999) which share the same type of hearing organ. Thyatirinae

Thyatirinae

The Thyatirinae are a subfamily of moth family Drepanidae with about 200 species described. Until recently, most classifications treated this group as a separate family called Thyatiridae.Nine species are resident in the British Isles:...

, previously often placed in their own family, bear a superficial resemblance to Noctuidae

Noctuidae

The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....

. Many species in the Drepanid family have a distinctively hook-shaped apex to the forewing, leading to their common name of hook-tips.

The larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

e of many species are very distinctive, tapering to a point at the tail and usually resting with both head and tail raised. They usually feed on the leaves of tree

Tree

A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...

s and shrub

Shrub

A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...

s, pupa

Pupa

A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago...

ting between leaves spun together with silk.

15 species are resident in the UK:

• Scalloped Hook-tip
  Falcaria lacertinaria
  The Scalloped Hook-tip is a moth of the family Drepanidae. It is found in Europe and Anatolia.The wingspan is 27–35 mm. The moth flies from April to August depending on the location.The larvae feed on Birch and Alder....
  
   (Falcaria lacertinaria)
• Oak Hook-tip
  Oak Hook-tip
  The Oak Hook-tip is a moth of the family Drepanidae. It is sometimes placed in the genus Watsonalla. It is found in most of Europe except the far north. It is quite common in England and Wales but not found in Scotland and only recently in Ireland.The sexes differ in size but are similar in colour...
  
   (Drepana binaria)
• Barred Hook-tip
  Watsonalla cultraria
  The Barred Hook-tip is a moth of the family Drepanidae. It is found in Southern and Central Europe.The wingspan is 20–28 mm. The moth flies from May to August depending on the location.The larvae feed on Fagus species....
  
   (Watsonalla cultraria)
• Pebble Hook-tip
  Drepana falcataria
  The Pebble Hook-tip is a moth of the family Drepanidae. It is found in Europe, through Siberia to East Asia.The wingspan is 27–35 mm. The moth flies from April to August depending on the location....
  
   (Drepana falcataria)
• Scarce Hook-tip (Sabra harpagula)
• Chinese Character
  Cilix glaucata
  The Chinese Character is a moth of the family Drepanidae. It is found in Europe and North Africa.The wingspan is 18–22 mm. The moth flies from April to August depending on the location....
  
   (Cilix glaucata)
• Peach Blossom
  Peach Blossom
  The Peach Blossom is a moth of the family Drepanidae. It is found throughout Europe and is a fairly common species in the British Isles....
  
   (Thyatira batis)
• Buff Arches
  Buff Arches
  The Buff Arches is a moth of the family Drepanidae. It is found throughout Europe and is well distributed in the British Isles except the far north of England and all of Scotland....
  
   (Habrosyne pyritoides)
• Figure of Eighty
  Figure of Eighty
  The Figure of Eighty is a moth of the family Drepanidae. It is found throughout continental Europe and has a scattered distribution in England and Wales, although it is absent from Scotland and Ireland....
  
   (Tethea ocularis)
• Poplar Lutestring
  Tethea or
  The Poplar Lutestring is a moth of the family Drepanidae. The species can be found in Europe, Northern and Eastern Asia and Japan. The imago resembles Tethea ocularis....
  
   (Tethea or)
• Satin Lutestring (Tetheella fluctuosa)
• Common Lutestring (Ochropacha duplaris)
• Oak Lutestring (Cymatophorima diluta)
• Yellow Horned (Achlya flavicornis)
• Frosted Green (Polyploca ridens)

Species from India:

• Oreta extensa

External links

• CSIRO Images