Mimallonidae
Videos
Mimallonidae, sometimes known as "sack-bearer" moths for the larval case-building behavior, are a family of Lepidoptera containing over 300 named species in 43 genera. These moths are found only in th
Mimallonid Moth
Wing coupling
Videos
Some four-winged insect orders, such as the Lepidoptera, have developed a wide variety of morphological wing coupling mechanisms in the imago which render these taxa as "functionally dipterous" for ef
Mimallonidae
…into two subfamilies: Lacosominae and Mimalloninae. These subfamilies were based on the presence (Lacosominae) or the absence (Mimalloninae) of the frenulum. It was later realized that this character varies within genera, and thus was deemed a sympleisiomorphy. Using molecular phylogenetics, specifically…
Oiketicus spp. (family Psychidae). The frenulum can be seen at the top of the rear wing, which hooks onto the retinaculum, seen here as a small brush on the front wing, so that the wings travel together during flight. Magnification: 10x