Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
includes the subfamily Apatelodinae, formerly considered a separate family (Apatelodidae)
BugGuide currently follows the moth classification and nomenclature used at
All-Leps.
Explanation of Names
Apate was a Greek goddess of deceit. She was a daughter (by parthenogenesis!) of Nyx, Night, who was daughter of Chaos. Lodes is Greek (?) for veins, as in lodes of ore. So these are "deceitfully veined" moths? (Based on Internet searches, it makes sense, but this is somewhat speculative.)
Numbers
6 species in 3 genera in 2 subfamilies in North America listed at
All-Leps; the other subfamily (Bombycinae) is represented by a single species in North America,
Bombyx mori
3 species in Canada (
CBIF)
Remarks
The former family Apatelodidae was included as a subfamily (Apatelodinae) within Bombycidae by Lemaire and Minet in 1999. This classification is followed by
Moths of Canada and Charles Covell on page xiii of the 2005 edition of
A Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (1)Print References
Lemaire, C. and J. Minet. 1999. The Bombycoidea and their relatives. Pages 321-353 in: Lepidoptera: Moths and Butterflies. 1. Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbook of Zoology. Vol. IV, Part 35. N. P. Kristensen, ed. De Gruyter, Berlin and New York.
Internet References
pinned adult images of three species occurring in Canada (CBIF)
common name references [Silkworm Moths, Lappet Moths], plus classification showing two subfamilies in North America (ITIS)
classification of Bombycidae, showing four subfamilies worldwide (Tree of Life)
