Larval food plants of Australian Larentiinae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) - a review of available data

Abstract Background In Australia, the subfamily Larentiinae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) comprises over 45 genera with about 270 species described so far. However, life histories of the Australian larentiine moths have barely been studied. New information The current paper presents a list of larval food plants of 51 Australian larentiine species based on literature references, data from specimen labels and own observations. Some Australian habitats are shown. Possible relationships among the taxa based on food preference of the larvae are discussed. Additionally, a list of Australasian larentiine species from the genera occurring in Australia and their food plants is presented.


Introduction
The immature stages and biology of the Australian Larentiinae (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) have received little attention in the past and our knowledge of host plant affiliations of the Australian species is remaining scarce. Hudson (1898) was one of the first researchers who discussed food plants of New Zealand larentiine larvae. Turner (1904), Common (1966) and Common (1990) presented some details of biology and listed a few food plants of Australian Larentiinae. McFarland (1979) published an annotated list of food plants of 280 Australian geometrid moths, including 16 larentiine species, whereby four species were identified to genus. He also succeeded to rear a large number of south Australian geometrid moths and completed 72 life history studies, but only four larentiine species were included (McFarland 1988). McQuillan (1986), McQuillan et al. (1998), McQuillan (1999) and McQuillan (2004) has been studying some aspects of biology, ecology and conservation of Australian moths focusing on the Tasmanian species. Holloway (1997) presented data on food plants of Indo-Australian Larentiinae. Some data on the larvae and food plants of the species Anachloris Meyrick, Chaetolopha Warren, Scotocyma Turner and Visiana Swinhoe are given in the reviews of these genera (Schmidt 2001, Schmidt 2002, Schmidt 2005, Schmidt 2006b, Schmidt 2007, Schmidt 2013 Descriptions of larvae and pupae are incomplete or absent. Some observations on the eggs of Australian moths have been published by McFarland (1973). The first comprehensive review of the southern Australian geometrid eggs, including 18 larentiine species was completed by Young (2006), who also reared Tasmanian larvae of Geometridae, including several Larentiinae. Craw (1986) briefly described and illustrated a few New Zealand larentiine larvae. Totally, more than 270 larentiine species referred to about 45 genera are currently described from Australia. However, life histories of the vast majority of Australian larentiine moths remain unstudied.
Taxonomic affiliation for several species is questionable therefore several names are cited in quotation marks. Tribal association is only cited for the first member of the tribe in the section "Nomenclature". In the section "Notes" the source of data on the food plants is presented. A list of Australian species of Larentiinae and their larval food plants is available under "Supplementary Materials" (see Suppl. material 1). A list of Australasian larentiine species from the genera occurring in Australia and their food plants is also presented (see Suppl. material 2).

Nomenclature:
Unplaced to tribe

Feeds on: Urtica dioica (Urticaceae)
Notes: Schmidt, unpubl. data. Final instar larvae readily accepted the leaves of Urtica dioica (flowers and buds were not offered).

Discussion
Larval food plants of 51 Australian larentiine species from the following tribes are presented, including Asthenini (5 species

Tribe Xanthorhoini
Like in the Palaearctic region, larvae of Australian xanthorhoines are polyphagous, feeding mainly on foliage of flowering plants and herbs. Most of the Australian larvae accepted Plantaginaceae, Fabaceae and Rubiaceae.

Genera unplaced to tribes
Larvae of a New Zealand species Aponotoreas dissimilis (Philpott, 1914) accepted Dracophyllum sp. (Epacridaceae), whereas A. synclinalis (Hudson, 1903) was feeding on Empodisma minus (Restionaceae) (B. Patrick, pers. comm., in: Craw 1986). The genus Aponotoreas Craw is currently assigned to the tribe Hydriomenini (McQuillan and Edwards 1996) but does not share several morphological characters of the tribe and is in need of taxonomic study (Schmidt, unpubl. data). Epacridaceae is a food plant of several asthenine species and of Chrysolarentia leucophanes of which the tribal assignment is still unclear. Apart from A. synclinalis, no further larentiine larvae are known to feed on Restionaceae. In Europe, the larvae of Hydriomena spp. are known to feed on Betulaceae, Corylaceae, Ericaceae, Fagaceae and Salicaceae (see Hausmann and Viidalepp 2012). Regarding the larval food preference of Aponotoreas, there is no indication of a close affinity with Hydriomenini.