Data from: Phylogeny and Reclassification of Limacodidae Worldwide, with Emphasis on the Ontogeny of Larval Defenses (Lepidoptera: Zygaenoidea)

Limacodidae (Zygaenoidea), a mostly pantropical family of 1800+ species, are known for their sluglike caterpillars, which have suckers rather than typical larval prolegs. Larvae with venomous spines above (nettles) predominate, although those with a smooth habitus above (gelatines) appear more sluglike. Previous phylogenies of Limacodidae were of limited geographic scope or focused on a single genus or a group of related genera. Thus, a comprehensive global study of relationships in the family is lacking. The phylogeny proposed herein includes 95 genera and 125 species in Limacodidae (stat. nov.), 14 species in related zygaenoid families, and six outgroup species (in five different families outside Zygaenoidea), doubling the number of genera and almost tripling the number of limacodid species of previous studies. In generating the phylogeny of Limacodidae, we also combine molecular data with morphological characters of adults and juveniles for the first time for more than a few exemplar species in broader studies. Results are based on one mitochondrial and six nuclear genes, totaling 5153 base pairs, and 122 morphological characters (5275 characters in total). Our trees support the monophyly of Zygaenoidea and suggest a new subfamily arrangement of a monophyletic Limacodidae: Crothaeminae (stat. rev.), Dalcerinae (stat. nov.), Chrysopolominae, and Limacodinae (stat. nov.). Two previously recognized subfamilies in Dalceridae and Chrysopolomidae, each, are relegated to tribes, and two tribes are recognized in Limacodinae.

Synapomorphies of all life-stage characters are presented for Limacodidae and other family groups of Zygaenoidea. The topology of our phylogenetic tree is congruent with many features of larval evolution. With new larval ontogenetic information, we present a hypothesis of the influence of ontogeny on spine evolution and how other modifications may have played a significant role in Limacodidae diversification through various defensive strategies.