Pyralinae
Encyclopedia
The Pyralinae are the typical subfamily of snout moths (family
Pyralidae) and occur essentially world-wide, in some cases aided by involuntary introduction by humans. They are rather rare in the Americas
however, and their diversity in the Australia
n region is also limited. Altogether, this subfamily includes about 900 described species
, but new ones continue to be discovered. Like many of their relatives in the superfamily Pyraloidea
, the caterpillar
larva
e of many Pyralinae – and in some cases even the adults – have evolved
the ability to use unusual foods for nutrition; a few of these can become harmful to humans as pests of stored goods.
coloration including most often various hues of brownish colors. Adult females of Pyralinae (except Cardamyla
and Embryoglossa) are characterized by the short genital ductus bursae, their corpus bursae barely extending forward beyond abdominal segment 7. Otherwise they are rather nondescript mid-sized moths (large by Pyralidae
standards) which at least sometimes can be distinguished from their relatives by possessing forewing vein 7 and having hindwing veins 7 and 8 unjoined as adults.
The Meal Moth (Pyralis farinalis) and the Grease Moth (Aglossa pinguinalis) are pests of stored food products, in the case of the Grease Moth including fat
s (which are also eaten by the adult moths), and have been inadvertently spread almost world-wide by transport of such goods. Most other species
' caterpillar
s are leaf feeders; the extremely polyphagous larvae of Pyralis manihotalis
have been reared from bat guano.
and taxonomy
of this subfamily is somewhat provisional. No quantitative
phylogenetic analysis had been done as of 2007, though in the mid-late 1990s M. Shaffer of the London Natural History Museum
and M.A. Solis of the NMNH prepared the groundwork for further studies by their comprehensive qualitative reviews of Pyralinae morphology
. Some cladistic studies of the Pyraloidea
do exist however, and these place the Pyralinae among the advanced snout moths, a lineage which otherwise includes the even more autapomorphic subfamilies Epipaschiinae
and Phycitinae
.
Even though the Pyralinae contain a high number of genera
and species
, there are a mere three tribe
s generally accepted nowadays; others that were proposed earlier (in some cases even as independent subfamilies within Pyralidae
) are presently treated as junior synonyms of the Pyralini
. A large number of genera are considered not to be reliably assignable to one of the three tribes; it is not at all certain that the presently-used subdivisions of the Pyralinae are the last word on the issue.
The tribes – with some significant genera and species also noted – and the genera of unclear affiliation in this subfamily are:
Genera incertae sedis
The genus Micronix
, formerly placed here, seems to belong to the Crambidae
, but its exact placement is obscure. For a similar case, see Tanaobela
.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Pyralidae) and occur essentially world-wide, in some cases aided by involuntary introduction by humans. They are rather rare in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
however, and their diversity in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n region is also limited. Altogether, this subfamily includes about 900 described species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, but new ones continue to be discovered. Like many of their relatives in the superfamily Pyraloidea
Pyraloidea
The Pyraloidea are a moth superfamily containing about 16,000 described species worldwide , and probably at least as many more remain to be described. They are generally fairly small moths....
, the caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
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 of many Pyralinae – and in some cases even the adults – have evolved
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
the ability to use unusual foods for nutrition; a few of these can become harmful to humans as pests of stored goods.
Description and ecology
This subfamily unites generally mid-sized to smallish moths with a more or less crypticCrypsis
In ecology, crypsis is the ability of an organism to avoid observation or detection by other organisms. It may be either a predation strategy or an antipredator adaptation, and methods include camouflage, nocturnality, subterranean lifestyle, transparency, and mimicry...
coloration including most often various hues of brownish colors. Adult females of Pyralinae (except Cardamyla
Cardamyla
Cardamyla is a genus of snout moths. It was described by Walker, in 1859, and is known from Australia.-Species:* Cardamyla carinentalis Walker, 1859* Cardamyla didymalis Walker, 1859* Cardamyla eurycroca Turner, 1937...
and Embryoglossa) are characterized by the short genital ductus bursae, their corpus bursae barely extending forward beyond abdominal segment 7. Otherwise they are rather nondescript mid-sized moths (large by Pyralidae
Pyralidae
The Pyralidae or snout moths are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many classifications, the grass moths are included in the Pyralidae as a subfamily, making the combined group one of the largest families in the Lepidoptera...
standards) which at least sometimes can be distinguished from their relatives by possessing forewing vein 7 and having hindwing veins 7 and 8 unjoined as adults.
The Meal Moth (Pyralis farinalis) and the Grease Moth (Aglossa pinguinalis) are pests of stored food products, in the case of the Grease Moth including fat
Fat
Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are triglycerides, triesters of glycerol and any of several fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure...
s (which are also eaten by the adult moths), and have been inadvertently spread almost world-wide by transport of such goods. Most other species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
' caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s are leaf feeders; the extremely polyphagous larvae of Pyralis manihotalis
Pyralis manihotalis
Pyralis manihotalis is a moth of the Pyralidae family.-Distribution:It is a widespread, pan-tropical species , known from Africa, India, Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, Samoa, Hawaii, South America and the West Indies...
have been reared from bat guano.
Systematics
The systematicsSystematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of terrestrial life, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees...
and taxonomy
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 this subfamily is somewhat provisional. No quantitative
Quantitative research
In the social sciences, quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of social phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to...
phylogenetic analysis had been done as of 2007, though in the mid-late 1990s M. Shaffer of the London Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
and M.A. Solis of the NMNH prepared the groundwork for further studies by their comprehensive qualitative reviews of Pyralinae morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
. Some cladistic studies of the Pyraloidea
Pyraloidea
The Pyraloidea are a moth superfamily containing about 16,000 described species worldwide , and probably at least as many more remain to be described. They are generally fairly small moths....
do exist however, and these place the Pyralinae among the advanced snout moths, a lineage which otherwise includes the even more autapomorphic subfamilies Epipaschiinae
Epipaschiinae
The Epipaschiinae are a subfamily of snout moths . Almost 600 species are known today, which are found mainly in the tropics and subtropics. Some occur in temperate regions, but the subfamily is apparently completely absent from Europe, at least as native species...
and Phycitinae
Phycitinae
The Phycitinae are a subfamily of snout moths . Even though the Pyralidae subfamilies are all quite diverse, Phycitinae stand out even by standards of their family: with over 600 genera considered valid and more than 4000 species placed here at present, they unite up more than three-quarters of...
.
Even though the Pyralinae contain a high number of genera
Genera
Genera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...
and species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, there are a mere three tribe
Tribe (biology)
In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...
s generally accepted nowadays; others that were proposed earlier (in some cases even as independent subfamilies within Pyralidae
Pyralidae
The Pyralidae or snout moths are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many classifications, the grass moths are included in the Pyralidae as a subfamily, making the combined group one of the largest families in the Lepidoptera...
) are presently treated as junior synonyms of the Pyralini
Pyralini
The Pyralini are a tribe of snout moths. They belong to the subfamily Pyralinae, which contains the "typical" snout moths of the Old World and some other regions. The genus list presented here is provisional....
. A large number of genera are considered not to be reliably assignable to one of the three tribes; it is not at all certain that the presently-used subdivisions of the Pyralinae are the last word on the issue.
The tribes – with some significant genera and species also noted – and the genera of unclear affiliation in this subfamily are:
Genera incertae sedis
Incertae sedis
, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
The genus Micronix
Micronix
Micronix is a genus of moths of the Crambidae family. Some authors have assigned it to the Pyralinae, but this seems to be incorrect....
, formerly placed here, seems to belong to the Crambidae
Crambidae
The Crambidae are the grass moth family of Lepidoptera . They are quite variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae taking up closely folded postures on grass-stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies include brightly coloured and patterned insects which rest in...
, but its exact placement is obscure. For a similar case, see Tanaobela
Tanaobela
Tanaobela is a genus of moths in the superfamily Pyraloidea. Its affiliations are disputed.Historically it was placed in subfamily Pyraustinae of the grass moth family ; more recent authors have alternatively assigned it to the tribe Pyralini of subfamily Pyralinae; these belong to the snout moth...
.