Notodontidae

Stephens, 1829

The Notodontidae are a cosmopolitan family of lepidoptera belonging to the superfamily Noctuoidea. It is a family with about 3,800 known species. As mentioned, the moths of this family are found in all parts of the world, but are more concentrated in tropical areas, in particular in the American continent. The Thaumetopoea pityocampa , better known as the Pine Processionary , is particularly present and with a bad reputation in the relief area (north-eastern Italy).

The species of this family tend to have a heavy appearance, the wings at rest are folded along the back of the body. The mouth parts vary from well developed to absent. It is rarely possible to see bright colors in this family, usually the prevailing colors are gray or brown, with the exception of the subfamily Dioptinae *.
Caterpillars are generally hairless, but may have tubercles, spines or humps. **
They feed on trees and shrubs, except in the subfamily Dioptinae , which feeds on herbaceous plants.***


* (Grimaldi e Engel, 2005)
** (Scoble 1995)
*** (Miller, 1992)