| Harvesters | |
|---|---|
| |
| Oriental Miletinae | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Papilionoidea |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Subfamily: | Miletinae Corbet, 1939 |
| Genera | |
|
Allotinus | |
Miletinae is a subfamily of the family Lycaenidae of butterflies, commonly called harvesters and woolly legs, and virtually unique among butterflies in having predatory larvae. Miletinae are entirely aphytophagous (do not feed on plants). The ecology of the Miletinae is little understood, but adults and larvae live in association with ants, and most known species feed on Hemiptera (aphids, coccids, membracids, and psyllids), though some, like Liphyra, feed on the ants themselves. The butterflies, ants, and hemipterans, in some cases, seem to have complex symbiotic relationships benefiting all.[1]
Systematics
[edit]- Tribe Miletini
- Allotinus C. & R. Felder, [1865] — Indomalayan realm
- Lontalius Eliot, 1986 — Indomalayan realm
- Miletus Hübner, [1819] — Indomalayan realm
- Logania Distant, 1884 — Indomalayan realm
- Megalopalpus Röber, [1886] — Afrotropical realm
- Tribe Spalgini
- Spalgis Moore, 1879 — Indomalayan realm, Afrotropical realm
- Feniseca Grote, 1869 — Nearctic realm (one species, Feniseca tarquinius)
- Taraka Doherty, 1889 — East Asian Palearctic realm, Indomalayan realm (sometimes in a separate tribe: Tarakini)
- Tennenta Müller, 2017 — Australasian realm
- Tribe Lachnocnemini
- Lachnocnema Trimen, 1887 — Afrotropical realm
- Thestor Hübner, [1819] — Afrotropical realm
- Tribe Liphyrini (formerly a separate subfamily: Liphyrinae)
References
[edit]- ^ Lohman, D.J.; Samarita, V.U. 2009: The biology of carnivorous butterfly larvae (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Miletinae: Miletini) and their ant-tended hemipteran prey in Thailand and the Philippines. Journal of natural history, 43: 569-581.
- Bernard d'Abrera (1986) Butterflies of the Oriental Region. Part 3: Lycaenidae and Riodinidae Hill House Publishers ISBN 0-9593639-4-7
- Bernard d'Abrera, (1980) Butterflies of the Afrotropical region based on Synonymic catalogue of the butterflies of the Ethiopian region by R.H. Carcasson. Lansdown Editions in association with E.W. Classey, Melbourne ISBN 0-7018-1029-7
- Kaliszewska, Z.A., Lohman, D.J., Sommer, K., Adelson, G., Rand, D.B., Mathew, J., Talavera, G. & Pierce, N.E. 2015. When caterpillars attack: Biogeography and life history evolution of the Miletinae (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Evolution 69(3): 571–588.
External links
[edit]- Biodiversity Explorer
- Royal Museum for Central Africa Images of Miletini (as Miletinae) [1]
Well, that’s interesting to know that Psilotum nudum are known as whisk ferns. Psilotum nudum is the commoner species of the two. While the P. flaccidum is a rare species and is found in the tropical islands. Both the species are usually epiphytic in habit and grow upon tree ferns. These species may also be terrestrial and grow in humus or in the crevices of the rocks.
View the detailed Guide of Psilotum nudum: Detailed Study Of Psilotum Nudum (Whisk Fern), Classification, Anatomy, Reproduction