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Swallowtail Moths
Uraniidae
The Uraniidae (also called Swallowtail moths) are a family of moths containing four subfamilies, 90 genera, and roughly 700 species. The family is distributed throughout the tropics of the Americas, Africa and Indo-Australia. Some of the tropical species are known for their bright, butterfly-like colors and are called sunset moths (for example Chrysiridia rhipheus). Such moths are apparently toxic and the bright colors are a warning to predators.
The family Uraniidae contains both diurnal and nocturnal species. The day-flying species are usually more strikingly colored and vibrant than the nocturnal ones. Many diurnal species also have iridescent scales and multiple tails, which often led them to be mistaken for butterflies. In sharp contrast, the nocturnal species are generally small, pale-colored insects. The Uraniidae are similar to the geometer moths, to which they are related, but a different wing veining pattern distinguishes them.
39 branches of this family, most-observed first
Scoopwing Moths
subfamilyEpipleminae
Uraniinae
subfamilyUraniinae
Microniinae
subfamilyMicroniinae
Auzeinae
subfamilyAuzeinae
Paradecetia
genusParadecetia
Saccoploca
genusSaccoploca
Neodeta
genusNeodeta
Thysanocraspeda
genusThysanocraspeda
Decetiodes
genusDecetiodes
Urapteritra
genusUrapteritra
Gymnoplocia
genusGymnoplocia
Symphytophleps
genusSymphytophleps
Metorthocheilus
genusMetorthocheilus
Lobogethes
genusLobogethes
Siculodopsis
genusSiculodopsis
Asyngria
genusAsyngria
Capnophylla
genusCapnophylla
Chaetopyga
genusChaetopyga
Chrysocestis
genusChrysocestis
Coelura
genusCoelura
Cirrhura
genusCirrhura
Falcinodes
genusFalcinodes
Hyperplema
genusHyperplema
Leuconotha
genusLeuconotha
Lophotosoma
genusLophotosoma
Lophopygia
genusLophopygia
Paurophlebia
genusPaurophlebia
Syngriodes
genusSyngriodes
Macrostylodes
genusMacrostylodes
Mesoglypta
genusMesoglypta
Nyctibadistes
genusNyctibadistes
Notoptya
genusNotoptya
Neoplema
genusNeoplema
Neodirades
genusNeodirades
Paroecia
genusParoecia
Antiplema
genusAntiplema
Dicroplema
genusDicroplema
Skaphion
genusSkaphion
Bicavernosa
genusBicavernosa
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Uraniidae in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 122401.