Nepticulidae
Encyclopedia
Nepticulidae is a family
of very small moths
with a worldwide distribution. They are characterised by eyecaps over the eyes (see also Opostegidae
, Bucculatricidae
, Lyonetiidae
). These pigmy moths or midget moths, as they are commonly known, include the smallest of all living moths, with a wingspan that can be as little as 3 mm. in the case of the European Pigmy Sorrel Moth, but more usually 3.5–10 mm. The wings of adult moths are narrow and lanceolate, sometimes with metallic markings, and with the venation very simplified compared to most other moths.
The minute larva
e usually are leaf miners but some species also mine seeds or bark of trees. Much is known about their host
plants. The Pectinivalvinae, characterised by a "pectinifer" on the valve
of the male genitalia, are endemic to Australia, where they mine the leaves of the tree families Myrtaceae
(Scoble, 1983) or Cunoniaceae
(Eucryphiaceae), and Elaeocarpaceae
(Hoare, 2000). This Australian group probably constitutes the sister group of other pigmy moths (the subfamily Nepticulinae), which is distributed across the World except Antarctica (Davis, 1999). Many species undoubtedly await description
and the study of some tropical fauna
s is just commencing (Puplesis et al., 2002).
Typical nepticulid moth leaf mines referable to the genera Stigmella and Ectoedemia are known from mid-Cretaceous
fossils around 97 million years old (Labandeira et al., 1994; Grimaldi and Engel, 2005: 52).
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
of very small moths
Moths
Moths may refer to:* Gustav Moths , German rower* The Moths!, an English indie rock band* MOTHS, members of the Memorable Order of Tin Hats...
with a worldwide distribution. They are characterised by eyecaps over the eyes (see also Opostegidae
Opostegidae
Opostegidae or "white eyecap moths" is a family of insects in the Lepidoptera order that is characterised by particularly large eyecaps over the compound eyes...
, Bucculatricidae
Bucculatricidae
Bucculatricidae or is a family of moths. This small family has representatives in all parts of the world. Some authors place the group as a subfamily of the family Lyonetiidae....
, Lyonetiidae
Lyonetiidae
Lyonetiidae is a family of moths. These are small, slender moths, the wingspan rarely exceeding 1 cm. The very narrow forewings, held folded backwards covering the hindwings and abdomen, often have pointed apices noticeably up- or down-turned. The larvae are leaf miners.The families Bucculatricidae...
). These pigmy moths or midget moths, as they are commonly known, include the smallest of all living moths, with a wingspan that can be as little as 3 mm. in the case of the European Pigmy Sorrel Moth, but more usually 3.5–10 mm. The wings of adult moths are narrow and lanceolate, sometimes with metallic markings, and with the venation very simplified compared to most other moths.
The minute larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e usually are leaf miners but some species also mine seeds or bark of trees. Much is known about their host
Host (biology)
In biology, a host is an organism that harbors a parasite, or a mutual or commensal symbiont, typically providing nourishment and shelter. In botany, a host plant is one that supplies food resources and substrate for certain insects or other fauna...
plants. The Pectinivalvinae, characterised by a "pectinifer" on the valve
Valve (disambiguation)
* A valve is a device that regulates the flow of fluids.* Types of such valves include:** Piston valve, a part in many brass instruments, used to control notes....
of the male genitalia, are endemic to Australia, where they mine the leaves of the tree families Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae
The Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here. All species are woody, with essential oils, and flower parts in multiples of four or five...
(Scoble, 1983) or Cunoniaceae
Cunoniaceae
The Cunoniaceae is a family of 26 genera and about 350 species of woody plants in the Antarctic flora, with many laurifolia species with glossy leaves endemic to laurel forest habitat. The family is native to Australia, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New Zealand, southern South America, the Mascarene...
(Eucryphiaceae), and Elaeocarpaceae
Elaeocarpaceae
Elaeaocarpaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family approximately contains 605 species of trees and shrubs in 12 genera. The largest genera are Elaeocarpus, with about 350 species, and Sloanea, with about 150....
(Hoare, 2000). This Australian group probably constitutes the sister group of other pigmy moths (the subfamily Nepticulinae), which is distributed across the World except Antarctica (Davis, 1999). Many species undoubtedly await description
Alpha taxonomy
Alpha taxonomy is the discipline concerned with finding, describing and naming species of living or fossil organisms. This field is supported by institutions holding collections of these organisms, with relevant data, carefully curated: such institutes include natural history museums, herbaria and...
and the study of some tropical fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
s is just commencing (Puplesis et al., 2002).
Typical nepticulid moth leaf mines referable to the genera Stigmella and Ectoedemia are known from mid-Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
fossils around 97 million years old (Labandeira et al., 1994; Grimaldi and Engel, 2005: 52).
Further reading
- Davis, D.R. (1999). The Monotrysian Heteroneura. Ch. 6, pp. 65–90 in Kristensen, N.P. (Ed.). Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies. Volume 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbuch der Zoologie. Eine Naturgeschichte der Stämme des Tierreiches / Handbook of Zoology. A Natural History of the phyla of the Animal Kingdom. Band / Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta Teilband / Part 35: 491 pp. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York.
- Hoare, R.J.B. (2000). A new genus of primitive Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) from eastern Australia, with a revised diagnosis of nepticulid subfamilies. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 128(3): 289–317.
- Labandeira, C.C., Dilcher, D.L., Davis, D.R. and Wagner, D.L. 1994. Ninety-Seven Million Years of Angiosperm-Insect Association: Paleobiological Insights into the Meaning of Coevolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 91(25): 12278–12282. pdf
- Puplesis, R., Diskus, A., Robinson, G.S. and Onore, G. (2002). A review and checklist of the Neotropical Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera). Bulletin of The Natural History Museum. Entomology Series, 71: 59–76.
- Scoble, M.J. (1983). A revised cladistic classification of the Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) with descriptions of new taxa mainly from South Africa. Monographs of the Transvaal Museum.
External links
- Nepticulidae and Opostegidae of the world
- Tree of Life
- Australian Nepticulidae
- US Leaf mines
- UK leaf mines
- New Zealand species
- Swedish species
- UK species
- Belgian species
- http://internt.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/research-curation/projects/butmoth/GenusList3.dsml?FAMILY=nepticulidae&AUTHORqtype=starts+with&sort=GENUS&SUBTRIBEqtype=starts+with&YEARqtype=equals&GENUSqtype=starts+with&TRIBEqtype=starts+with&SUBFAMILYqtype=starts+with&FAMILYqtype=equals&beginIndex=0&searchPageURL=index%2edsml%3fFAMILY%3dnepticulidae%26AUTHORqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26sort%3dGENUS%26SUBTRIBEqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26YEARqtype%3dequals%26beginIndex%3d30%26GENUSqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26TRIBEqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26SUBFAMILYqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26FAMILYqtype%3dequals&listPageURL=GenusList3%2edsml%3fFAMILY%3dnepticulidae%26AUTHORqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26sort%3dGENUS%26SUBTRIBEqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26YEARqtype%3dequals%26beginIndex%3d30%26GENUSqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26TRIBEqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26SUBFAMILYqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26FAMILYqtype%3dequalsList of available generic names]