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Gelechioidea

(Superfamily)

Overview

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Gelechioidea is the superfamily of moths that contains the case-bearers, twirler moths and relatives, also simply called curved-horn moths or gelechioid moths. They are a large and poorly understood '"micromoth" superfamily, constituting one of the basal lineages of the Ditrysia.1]

As of the 1990s, this superfamily was composed of about 1,425 genera and 16,250 species. It was estimated[2] that only 25% of the species diversity of Gelechioidea has been described. If this estimate is accurate, Gelechioidea will be one of the largest superfamilies of Lepidoptera.[1]

The name "curved-horn moths" refers to one of the few conspicuous features found in (almost) all Gelechioidea, and at least in the more extreme developments unique to them: the are well-developed (though not thickened), and form more or less gently curved protrusions whose terminal segment has a drawn-out pointed tip. Their proboscis is generally well-developed, allowing for long-lived imagines (adults); the proximal part of the proboscis is scaly. Otherwise, the Gelechioidea vary extensively in habitus; most have small hindwings with long hairy fringes, though these are not easily seen in the living animal as they are tucked under the forewings at rest. Usually, they are quite compressed either dorsoventrally or laterally.[3]

Families

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The phylogeny and classification of the Gelechioidea remains subject of considerable dispute. For example, the Elachistidae were at one time used as a sort of "wastebin taxon" to unite as subfamilies a variety of plesiomorphic members of this superfamily, which do not actually seem to form a monophyletic group. Many of these have now been moved to the Oecophoridae, but others are almost certainly likely families in their own right, while additional ones may well be so.[4]

Provisionally, the Gelechioidea are divided into the following family-level taxa:[5]

The genus Aeolanthes is sometimes placed in the Elachistidae, Lecithoceridae or Oecophoridae as a monotypic subfamily (Aeolanthinae), but its actual relationships are not reliably determined yet.

Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b Robinson et al. (1994), Hodges (1999), O'Toole (2002)
  2. ^ Hodges (1999)
  3. ^ Robinson et al. (1994)
  4. ^ Hodges (1999), O'Toole (2002), ToL (2009), Wikispecies (2009-OCT-12)
  5. ^ Wikispecies (2009-OCT-12)
b>Gelechioidea is the superfamily of moths that contains the case-bearers, twirler moths and relatives, also simply called curved-horn moths or gelechioid moths. They are a large and poorly understood '"micromoth" superfamily, constituting one of the basal lineages of the Ditrysia.1]

As of the 1990s, this superfamily was composed of about 1,425 genera and 16,250 species. It was estimated[2] that only 25% of the species diversity of Gelechioidea has been described. If this estimate is accurate, Gelechioidea will be one of the largest superfamilies of Lepidoptera.[1]

The name "curved-horn moths" refers to one of the few conspicuous features found in (almost) all Gelechioidea, and at least in the more extreme developments unique to them: the are well-developed (though not thickened), and form more or less gently curved protrusions whose terminal segment has a drawn-out pointed tip. Their proboscis is generally well-developed, allowing for long-lived imagines (adults); the proximal part of the proboscis is scaly. Otherwise, the Gelechioidea vary extensively in habitus; most have small hindwings with long hairy fringes, though these are not easily seen in the living animal as they are tucked under the forewings at rest. Usually, they are quite compressed either dorsoventrally or laterally.[3]

Families

[ Back to top ]

The phylogeny and classification of the Gelechioidea remains subject of considerable dispute. For example, the Elachistidae were at one time used as a sort of "wastebin taxon" to unite as subfamilies a variety of plesiomorphic members of this superfamily, which do not actually seem to form a monophyletic group. Many of these have now been moved to the Oecophoridae, but others are almost certainly likely families in their own right, while additional ones may well be so.[4]

Provisionally, the Gelechioidea are divided into the following family-level taxa:[5]

The genus Aeolanthes is sometimes placed in the Elachistidae, Lecithoceridae or Oecophoridae as a monotypic subfamily (Aeolanthinae), but its actual relationships are not reliably determined yet.

Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b Robinson et al. (1994), Hodges (1999), O'Toole (2002)
  2. ^ Hodges (1999)
  3. ^ Robinson et al. (1994)
  4. ^ Hodges (1999), O'Toole (2002), ToL (2009), Wikispecies (2009-OCT-12)
  5. ^ Wikispecies (2009-OCT-12)

References

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Data related to Gelechioidea at Wikispecies See also associated Talk page for comparison of some approaches to gelechioid systematics and taxonomy.

External links

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Taxonomy

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The Superfamily Gelechioidea is further organized into finer groupings including:

Families

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Agonoxenidae

The Agonoxenidae are a family of moths only contains four named species in the whole world ? all in the type genus ? if (e.g. following Nielsen et al., 1996) the Blastodacnidae are considered to be a separate family. Such a monotypic arrangement is fairly unusual in modern taxonomy without explicit need due to phylogenetic constraints, and with little reliable data on the latter, the traditional approach is followed here pending new studies. [more]

Blastobasidae

Blastobasidae is a family of moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. Its species can be found almost anywhere in the world, though in some places they are not native but introduced by humans. In some arrangements, these moths are included in the case-bearer family (Coleophoridae) as subfamily Blastobasinae. The Symmocidae are sometimes included in the Blastobasidae (particularly if both are included in Coleophoridae) as subfamily or tribe. [more]

Coleophoridae

Coleophoridae is a family of small moths, belonging to the huge superfamily Gelechioidea. Collectively known as case-bearers, casebearing moths or case moths, this family is represented on all continents but the majority are found in temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere. They are most common in the Palearctic, and rare in sub-Saharan Africa, South America and Australia; consequently, they probably originated (like most or all other Gelechioidea families) in northern Eurasia. [more]

Cosmopterigidae

Cosmopterigidae (cosmet moths) is a family of insects in the Lepidoptera order. These are small moths with narrow wings whose tiny larvae feed internally on the leaves, seeds, stems, etc of their host plants. There are about 1,500 described species. The family is most diverse in the Australian and Pacific region with about 780 species. [more]

Elachistidae

The Elachistidae (grass-miner moths) are a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. Some authors lump about 3,300 species in eight subfamilies here, but this arrangement almost certainly results in a massively paraphyletic and completely unnatural assemblage, united merely by symplesiomorphies retained from the first gelechioid moths. [more]

Gelechiidae

Gelechiidae is a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the Gelechiidae's relationships with and delimitation against their relatives have been subject to considerable dispute. These are generally very small moths with narrow, fringed wings. The larvae of most species feed internally on various parts of their host plants, sometimes causing galls. Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga) is a host plant common to many species of the family, particularly of the genus Chionodes which is consequently more diverse in North America than usual for Gelechioidea. [more]

Lecithoceridae

Lecithoceridae (long-horned moths) is a family of small moths. Although lecithocerids are found throughout the world, the great majority are found in the Indomalaya ecozone and the southern part of the Palaearctic ecozone. [more]

Momphidae

Momphidae (mompha moths) is a family of moths with some 115 described species. These tend to be rather small moths with a wingspan of up to 21 mm. The wings are held folded over the body at rest. The larvae are concealed feeders, either as leaf miners or within seeds or stems. [more]

Oecophoridae

Oecophoridae (concealer moths) is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this. [more]

Pterolonchidae

[more]

Scythrididae

Scythrididae (flower moths) is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The family is sometimes included in the as a subfamily Scythridinae, but the Xyloryctidae themselves have sometimes been included in the Oecophoridae as subfamily. Scythrididae adults are smallish to mid-sized moths, which when at rest appear teardrop-shaped. [more]

At least 601 species and subspecies belong to the Family Scythrididae.

More info about the Family Scythrididae may be found here.

References

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Data related to Gelechioidea at Wikispecies See also associated Talk page for comparison of some approaches to gelechioid systematics and taxonomy.

External links

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Sources

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Last Revised: August 24, 2012
2012/08/24 13:20:39