Phalaena
Encyclopedia
Phalaena is an obsolete genus Lepidoptera
used by Carl Linnaeus to house most moth
s.
Phalaena was one of three genera used by Linnaeus to cover all Lepidoptera
. Papilio
included all butterflies
at that time, Sphinx included all hawk moths, and Phalaena included all the remaining moths. The type species
was Phalaena typica (now Naenia typica in the family Noctuidae
).
Phalaena has been declared a by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
, for the purposes of the Law of Priority, but not the Law of Homonymy. Seven subgenera
were raised to the rank of family
as follows:
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...
used by Carl Linnaeus to house most 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.
Phalaena was one of three genera used by Linnaeus to cover all 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...
. Papilio
Papilio
Papilio is a genus in the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae. The word papilio is Latin for butterfly.The genus includes a number of well-known North American species such as the Western Tiger Swallowtail...
included all butterflies
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
at that time, Sphinx included all hawk moths, and Phalaena included all the remaining moths. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
was Phalaena typica (now Naenia typica in the family 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....
).
Phalaena has been declared a by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 28 members from 20 countries, mainly practicing zoological taxonomists...
, for the purposes of the Law of Priority, but not the Law of Homonymy. Seven subgenera
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
were raised to the rank of 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...
as follows:
- Alucita Linnaeus, 1767 – Alucitidae
- Attacus Linnaeus, 1767 – SaturniidaeSaturniidaeThe Saturniidae, commonly known as saturniids, are among the largest and most spectacular of the moths. They form a family of Lepidoptera, with an estimated 1,300 to 1,500 described species worldwide...
- Bombyx Linnaeus, 1758 – BombycidaeBombycidaeBombycidae is a family of moths. The best-known species is Bombyx mori or silkworm, native to northern China and domesticated for millennia...
- Geometra Linnaeus, 1758 – Geometridae
- Noctua Linnaeus, 1758 – NoctuidaeNoctuidaeThe 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....
- Pyralis Linnaeus, 1758 – PyralidaePyralidaeThe Pyralidae or snout moths are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many classifications, the grass moths are included in the Pyralidae as a subfamily, making the combined group one of the largest families in the Lepidoptera...
- Tinea Linnaeus, 1758 – TineidaeTineidaeTineidae is a family of moths in the order Lepidoptera. Collectively, they are known as fungus moths or tineid moths. The family contains considerably more than 3,000 species in over 300 genera. Most of the tineid moths are small or medium-sized, with wings held roofwise over the body at rest...
- Tortrix Linnaeus, 1758 – TortricidaeTortricidaeTortricidae is a family of moths, commonly known as tortrix moths, in the order Lepidoptera. Tortricidae is a large family with over 9,400 species described, and is the sole member of the superfamily Tortricoidea. Many of these are economically important pests. Olethreutidae is a junior synonym...