[en] Lepidoptera can cause several health issues in humans and domestic animals due to their setae, which are defensive adaptations that protect them from predators. The diversity of venomous Lepidoptera has been explored in several reviews starting from the first comprehensive attempt in 1984 by Kawamoto and Kumada (KK) who compiled a list of 228 species based on previous reviews; however, KK did not cite the original publications for listed species. In this review we validated and updated the KK table. The updated list of venomous Lepidoptera includes 5 superfamilies, 14 families, 208 genera, and 576 species, representing a two-fold increase for genera and 2.9-fold for species with respect to KK. The total number of species in the genera including at least one venomous species, which we argue is likely closer to the true number of venomous species, is 7 times higher (3,620). GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) occurrences for venomous species are 1–4 orders of magnitude higher than those of confamilial non-venomous species. The presence of venomous structures is independent of the relatedness of the clades or geographic region; venom is produced by many species of Zygaenoidea, Lasiocampoidea and Bombycoidea but only by some specialized groups in Papilionoidea and Noctuoidea. There are likely to be multiple evolutionary origins of venom within Lepidoptera, but the exact number is difficult to estimate. The knowledge gap between medical and natural history fields needs to be addressed with novel approaches to study ecology and toxicology. This review offers health practitioners a tool to better understand the origin of the reactions observed and to improve the identification of the causal agents.
Disciplines :
Entomology & pest control
Author, co-author :
Battisti, Andrea; Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
Walker, Andrew A.; Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Uemura, Mizuki; School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Zalucki, Myron P.; School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Brinquin, Anne-Sophie; Entomology and Mediterranean Forest Experimental Unit (UEFM), INRAE, Avignon, France
Caparros Megido, Rudy ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département GxABT > Gestion durable des bio-agresseurs
Gachet, Emmanuel; Plant Health Laboratory, Biological risk assessment Unit, ANSES, France
Desneux, Nicolas; Université Côte d’Azur, INRAE, UMR ISA, Nice, France
Language :
English
Title :
Look but do not touch: the occurrence of venomous species across Lepidoptera
Publication date :
2024
Journal title :
Entomologia Generalis
ISSN :
0171-8177
eISSN :
2363-7102
Publisher :
Schweizerbart Science Publishers
Volume :
44
Issue :
1
Pages :
29 - 39
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funding text :
Davide Nardi for data extraction from GBIF. National History Museum Paris, Paolo Paolucci for drawing Fig. 2. The analysis presented in this document has been generated in part during expertise work carried out on behalf of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES). We acknowledge support from the Australian Research Council through Discovery Project DP200102867. This paper is dedicated to Prof. Luigi Masutti on the occasion of his 90th birthday.Acknowledgements: Davide Nardi for data extraction from GBIF. National History Museum Paris, Paolo Paolucci for drawing Fig. 2. The analysis presented in this document has been generated in part during expertise work carried out on behalf of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES). We acknowledge support from the Australian Research Council through Discovery Project DP200102867. This paper is dedicated to Prof. Luigi Masutti on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
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