shrubs, but some are known from vines, herbs, grasses, and lichens. Tribes Most genera are classified into the following tribes, while others remain unclassified (incertae sedis): Arctornithini Daplasini Leucomini Locharnini Lymantriini Orgyiini Nygmiini Incertae sedis See also the list of Lymantriinae genera. Systematics Taxonomy is a dynamic discipline, and recent phylogenetic studies have reclassified the family Lymantriidae as the subfamily Lymantriinae of the newly formed family Erebidae. The studies found that the family Lymantriidae form a specialized lineage within the Erebidae and is part of a clade that includes the litter moths (Herminiinae), the Aganainae, and the tiger and lichen moths (Arctiinae). The reclassification affected the former family as a whole and largely kept the clade intact. This description clarifies the standing of the former name "Lymantriidae" relative to other proposed names, e.g. Liparidae and other currently unacceptable alternatives. It authoritatively explains the status of the family name Lymantriidae and its various alternatives as matters stood towards the end of the 20th century: In the 1980 The Generic Names of Moths of the World: Volume 2, Allen Watson, D. S. Fletcher and I. W. B. Nye wrote: As pointed out, "Liparidae" once was an alternative family name for the Lymantriidae, but nowadays "Liparidae" is firmly established as the name of a family of fish, and according to the conventions of zoological taxonomy, family names have to be unique, even though they are permitted to coincide with botanical names. Notable species and genera Brown-tail, Euproctis chrysorrhoea Yellow-tail, Sphrageidus similis Gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar Nun moth, Lymantria monacha Pale tussock moth, Calliteara pudibunda Northern pine tussock moth, Dasychira plagiata Arctic woollybear moth, Gynaephora groenlandica Rusty tussock moth or vapourer, Orgyia antiqua Western tussock moth, Orgyia vetusta White-marked tussock moth, Orgyia leucostigma Douglas-fir tussock moth, Orgyia pseudostugata Satin moth, Leucoma salicis Coca moth, Eloria noyesi Painted apple moth, Teia anartoides Rahona Literary references In The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, the character Pappachi discovers a new species of lymantriid with "unusually dense dorsal tufts". At first, his discovery is misclassified as a race of an existing species. After Pappachi retires from the post of imperial entomologist, a taxonomic revision makes his moth the type species of a new genus. Pappachi's original claim is forgotten and the new genus is named for a former subordinate. The disappointment embitters Pappachi: References Further reading Schintlmeister, Alexander (2004). The Taxonomy of the Genus Lymantria Hubner,