Thaumetopoea


Thaumetopoea is a genus of moths belonging to the family Notodontidae. It was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1820.
In their caterpillar form, they bear the vernacular name of processionary because these gregarious larvae move in a single file. In their imago form, members of this genus live a few days without feeding.
Some Thaumetopoea species, for example Thaumetopoea pityocampa, are lepidopteran defoliators experiencing an expansion range towards higher latitudes and altitudes due to the current climate warming. Moreover, processionary caterpillars carry urticating setae, which cause health problems in humans.

Systematics

The etymology of the genus name derives from the two ancient Ancient Greek words , "marvelous", and , "to do", and literally means "showing beautiful things".
This explains why the name is sometimes spelled Thaumatopoea, incorrectly from the taxonomic standpoint, but in accordance with its etymology.
The genus Thaumetopoea contains the following species:
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