Zygaenid Moths of Australia: Revision of the Zygaenidae of Australia (Proridinae: Artonini)

OUT OF PRINT.  Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera, volume nine. The Zygaenidae are a family of day-flying moths with an unusual biology, they are capable of releasing prussic acid. All Australian species belong to the subfamily Procridinae (commonly known as foresters) and many of these feature iridescent green colours or a wasp-like look. This is the first study of the Australian fauna of these attractive and biologically interesting moths.

In this volume their beauty is captured larger-than-life in 112 finely detailed portraits by acclaimed artist František Gregor, setting a new benchmark for moth illustrations. Comprehensive general chapters discuss zygaenid morphology, biology, phylogeny and classification, with considerable new information of world-wide relevance.

The book then provides in-depth treatments of the 11 genera and 43 species present in Australia, including 4 genera and 22 species new to science. It features keys to genera and species, photos of genitalia of both sexes and other diagnostic structures, and distribution maps for all species. Additionally, there are 8 pages of colour photographs and over 400 photos of microscopic structures, including more than a hundred spectacular scanning electron micrographs.