Palaeosetidae
Encyclopedia
Palaeosetidae or "Miniature Ghost Moths" is a family of insects in the Lepidoptera
n order contained within the superfamily Hepialoidea
.
, South America
(Osrhoes) and the other three genera have an Old World
distribution from Assam
to Australia
(Kristensen, 1999: 59-61; Nielsen et al., 2000).
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...
n order contained within the superfamily Hepialoidea
Hepialoidea
Hepialoidea is the superfamily of "ghost moths" and "swift moths". See Kristensen for a broad review.- Fossils :Fossil Hepialoidea appear to be few. Prohepialus has been described from the about 35 million year old Bembridge Marls of Isle of Wight. A mid-Miocene hepialoid fossil is also known...
.
Taxonomy and systematics
Palaeosetidae is a primitive family of Hepialoidea with four currently recognised genera and seven species.Distribution
One genus occurs in ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
(Osrhoes) and the other three genera have an Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
distribution from Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(Kristensen, 1999: 59-61; Nielsen et al., 2000).