Nolidae  

Scale tufts:

present, absent

Epiphysis:

present

Adult thorax description:

Tegulae and patagia of nolids easily detached. Feature not seen in other noctuoids. Underlying mechanism is not understood. Male Nolidae elongate ("bar-shaped") retinaculum, similar to Arctiidae. Tympanal organs present in metathorax. Scale tufts on forewing (mainly Nolinae, Sarrothripinae, Bleninae and Collomeninae). The hood is not well developed.

Forelegs:

modified

Number of tibial spurs midleg:

from 2

Leg description:

Foreleg with tibial epiphysis.

Wing venation??description:

The fore wing has all veins developed, one or two radial branches are lost. The radial system can be distorted in the male. Hind wing missing vein M3, Sc is briefly fused with cell.

Forewing cell veins:

forked

Forewing anal vein notation:

1 anal vein, 1B

Hindwing anal vein notation:

1A+1B

Forewing description:

Lack tubular vein 1c. Discal cell lacks tubular media (M) vein. Sc and R fused more than half of length of cell.

Hindwing description:

Lack tubular vein 1c.

Ocelli:

absent

Eyes:

smooth

Labial palpus:

porrect

Labial palpus modification:

Nolidae have palpi that are "rather large and beak-like" (Forbes 1960)

Maxillary palpus:

minute

Proboscis:

present

Proboscis texture:

naked

Proboscis description:

Proboscis long (Miller, 1991); tongue present, weak (Forbes 1923).

Mandibles:

absent

Male antennae:

pectinate

Adult head description:

The head is prominent (Forbes 1960)

Apomorphies:

Males possess an elongated retinaculum, similar to Artiidae.  Easily detached tegulae and patagia.  Male genitalic muscle M.4 is directed ventrally, not horizontally (Speidel and Naumann, 1995b)

Larval food items include:

Quercus.  Malus domestica.  Clethra.  Hamamelis

Larval food habits description:

Hosts for Meganola: oak and apple; Nola: oak, witch hazel, Clethra, and grasses.