Thaumetopoeidae
Thaumetopoeidae | |
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A male Pine Processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
Family: | Thaumetopoeidae |
Genera | |
Aglaosoma |
Thaumetopoeidae (sometimes incorrectly spelled "Thaumatopoeidae") is a small family of moths in the order Lepidoptera. The genera in this family have been historically treated as a subfamily within Notodontidae instead.
The larval stage of some Thaumetopoeidae are known as processionary caterpillars, so named because they move in columns in search of food, resembling a procession. Some of the species, like the Pine and Oak Processionary, can constitute a health hazard.
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Caterpillars of the Pine Processionary (Thaumetopoea pityocampa)
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