Cyclotorna

Cyclotorna
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Cyclotornidae
Genus:	Cyclotorna Meyrick, 1907
Species
Cyclotorna diplocentra Turner, 1913 Cyclotorna egena Meyrick, 1912 Cyclotorna ementita Meyrick, 1921 Cyclotorna experta Meyrick, 1912 Cyclotorna monocentra Meyrick, 1907

Cyclotorna is a genus of moths, the sole one of family Cyclotornidae, with five recognized species. The family is endemic to Australia. This family and the closely related Epipyropidae are unique among the Lepidoptera in that the larvae are ectoparasites, the hosts in this case typically being leafhoppers, sometimes scale insects. The larvae of cyclotornids, however, leave the hemipteran host and become predatory on the brood in ant nests, apparently using chemical cues to induce the ants to carry the larvae into the ant nest.

References

• Dodd, F. P. 1912. Some remarkable ant-friend Lepidoptera. Trans. Entomol. Soc. London (1911):577-590.
• CSIRO Gallery