Epipyropidae
Encyclopedia
Epipyropidae is a small family
of moth
s. This family and the closely related Cyclotornidae
are unique among the Lepidoptera
in that the larvae are ectoparasites, the hosts typically being fulgoroid planthoppers, thus the common name Planthopper Parasite Moths.
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. This family and the closely related Cyclotornidae
Cyclotornidae
Cyclotorna is a genus of moths, the sole one of family Cyclotornidae, with five recognized species. The family is endemic to Australia. This family and the closely related Epipyropidae are unique among the Lepidoptera in that the larvae are ectoparasites, the hosts in this case typically being...
are unique among the Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
in that the larvae are ectoparasites, the hosts typically being fulgoroid planthoppers, thus the common name Planthopper Parasite Moths.