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The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera. Their distribution is worldwide, with about 1,450 species found in Europe.〔Fibiger, M., 1990. Noctuinae 1. - Noctuidae Europaeae 1, Sorø, Denmark〕〔Fibiger, M., 1993. Noctuinae 2. - Noctuidae Europaeae 2, Sorø, Denmark〕〔Fibiger, M., 1997. Noctuinae 3. - Noctuidae Europaeae 3, Sorø, Denmark.〕 Most have drab forewings, although some have brightly coloured hindwings. Differences between the sexes are usually few. The overwhelming majority of noctuids fly at night and are almost invariably strongly attracted to light. Many are also attracted to sugar and nectar-rich flowers. Some of the family are preyed upon by bats. However, many Noctuidae species have tiny organs in their ears that respond to bat echolocation calls, sending their wing muscles into spasm and causing the moths to dart erratically. This aids the moths in evading the bats.〔Roeder, K.D. (1974). Acoustic sensory responses and possible bat-evasion tactics of certain moths. ''Proc. Canadian Society of Zoologists’ Annual Meeting'' M.D.B. Burt, ed. (Fredericton: University of New Brunswick Press), pp. 71–78. 〕〔 〕〔 〕 Several species have larvae (caterpillars) that live in the soil and are agricultural or horticultural pests. These are the "cutworms" that eat the bases of young brassicas and lettuces. They form hard, shiny pupae. Most noctuid larvae feed at night, resting in the soil or in a crevice in its food plant during the day. The Noctuidae are also remarkable for containing an extraordinary number of species whose caterpillars are able to feed on certain poisonous plants without harm. These foodplants — namely Solanaceae (e.g., ''Nicotiana'') and Fabaceae (e.g., ''Sophora'') — contain chemicals that would kill most insects trying to feed on them. ==Systematics== Division into subfamilies, and the number of subfamilies is unsatisfactory and varies somewhat in various taxonomical systems. Several moth genera are not yet robustly assigned to subfamilies: * ''Amazonides'' * ''Amilaga'' * ''Ammopolia'' * ''Anartomorpha'' * ''Androdes'' * ''Anaphela'' * ''Anhausta'' * ''Aplectoides'' * ''Apoxestia'' * ''Astonycha'' * ''Atlantagrotis'' * ''Axylia'' * ''Calpoparia'' * ''Consobrambus'' * ''Cryphiomima'' * ''Macrobarasa'' * ''Oediconia'' * ''Parasoloe'' * ''Plectothripa'' * ''Pseudotryphia'' * ''Quadratala'' * ''Syagrana'' * ''Talhoukia'' * ''Zazanisa'' Recent molecular studies, however, have shown that the family Noctuidae is paraphyletic. The subfamily Plusiinae should be raised to family status. The Noctuidae ''sensu stricto'' should be confined to trifines. The quadrifid noctuid subfamilies are paraphyletic (or perhaps polyphyletic) and should be grouped in a clade with the Arctiidae and Lymantriidae. The terms ''trifid'' and ''quadrifid'' refer to the number of veins from the lower part of the hindwing midcell. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Noctuidae」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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