The Galleriinae are a

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classifica ...

snout moth The Pyralidae, commonly called pyralid moths, snout moths or grass moths, are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many (particularly older) classifications, the grass moths (Crambidae) are included in the Pyralida ...

s (

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Pyralidae) and occur essentially worldwide, in some cases aided by involuntary introduction by humans. This subfamily includes the

wax moth Waxworms are the caterpillar larvae of wax moths, which belong to the family Pyralidae (snout moths). Two closely related species are commercially bred – the lesser wax moth (''Achroia grisella'') and the greater wax moth (''Galleria ...

s, whose

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sy ...

s (waxworms) are bred on a commercial scale as food for

pet A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive appearances, intelligence ...

s and as

fishing bait Fishing bait is any substance used to attract and catch fish, e.g. on a fishing hook. Bait items are both selected from and placed within the environment to achieve enhanced prey capture success. Traditionally, fishing baits are natural fish foo ...

; in the wild, these and other

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

of Galleriinae may also be harmful to humans as pests. At the species level, they are the least diverse snout moth subfamily according to current knowledge, with 306 described species all together. However, as regards major lineages, the Galleriinae are quite diverse, with five

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

s being recognized – more than in the

Phycitinae The Phycitinae are a subfamily of snout moths (family Pyralidae). 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 specie ...

, the most species-rich snout moth subfamily. One of these tribes, the Joelminetiini, has been described only in 2007, and presently contains a single and highly aberrant

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

Description and ecology

The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) 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 Galleriinae usually have a sclerotised (hardened) ring around the base of

seta In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. ...

SD1 on the first

abdominal The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the to ...

segment. Their

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in thei ...

e are comparatively easy to distinguish from other snout moths' by a readily apparent midline ridge running along the

thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the c ...

and abdomen. In the imagines, the gnathos of the male

genital A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...

ia is reduced to the point of disappearing altogether or (more rarely) with only the barest vestige remaining; this is quite characteristic except for a few

Chrysauginae The Chrysauginae are a subfamily of snout moths ( family Pyralidae). They are primarily Neotropical and include about 400 described species. Description and ecology The subfamily includes the sloth moths (genera ''Cryptoses'', ''Bradypodicola' ...

which have convergently lost the gnathos. Males produce very high chirping sounds with their tegulae, in some cases even regular "mating songs", though without specialized

bioacoustics Bioacoustics is a cross-disciplinary science that combines biology and acoustics. Usually it refers to the investigation of sound production, dispersion and reception in animals (including humans). This involves neurophysiological and anatomical ...

equipment this cannot be used for identification. Unusual for Pyralidae, adult Galleriinae may lack

ocelli A simple eye (sometimes called a pigment pit) refers to a form of eye or an optical arrangement composed of a single lens and without an elaborate retina such as occurs in most vertebrates. In this sense "simple eye" is distinct from a multi-l ...

and even the

proboscis A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a proboscis is an elong ...

(which is usually well developed in the family); as typical for the family, however, they usually have large

labial palp The term ''labial'' originates from '' Labium'' (Latin for "lip"), and is the adjective that describes anything of or related to lips, such as lip-like structures. Thus, it may refer to: * the lips ** In linguistics, a labial consonant ** In zoolo ...

s which form a "snout".

Ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

ly, the subfamily is noted for a number of species that

coevolved In biology, coevolution occurs when two or more species reciprocally affect each other's evolution through the process of natural selection. The term sometimes is used for two traits in the same species affecting each other's evolution, as well ...

with

Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typic ...

, namely

Apoidea The superfamily Apoidea is a major group within the Hymenoptera, which includes two traditionally recognized lineages, the " sphecoid" wasps, and the bees. Molecular phylogeny demonstrates that the bees arose from within the traditional " Crabroni ...

(

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfami ...

s and relatives). The larvae may be

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson h ...

s or

symbiont Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasi ...

s, and the adults of such species at least to some degree are

inquiline In zoology, an inquiline (from Latin ''inquilinus'', "lodger" or "tenant") is an animal that lives commensally in the nest, burrow, or dwelling place of an animal of another species. For example, some organisms such as insects may live in the h ...

s (though usually pursued by the nest inhabitants). Especially notable among these Galleriinae are the

waxworm Waxworms are the caterpillar larvae of wax moths, which belong to the family Pyralidae (snout moths). Two closely related species are commercially bred – the lesser wax moth (''Achroia grisella'') and the greater wax moth (''Galleria ...

s ('' Achroia'' and ''

Galleria Galleria may refer to Shopping centres named ''Galleria'' Australia * Galleria Shopping Centre (Perth), Morley, Western Australia * Galleria Shopping Centre (Melbourne), Melbourne, Victoria Canada * Allen Lambert Galleria, Toronto, Ontario * ...

'' larvae) which are both significant as

beekeeping Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in man-made beehives. Honey bees in the genus ''Apis (insect), Apis'' are the most-commonly-kept species but other honey-producing bees such as ''Melipona'' stingless bees ar ...

pests and as commercial items, as well as ''

Aphomia ''Aphomia'' is a genus of small moths belonging to the family Pyralidae. Some breed in the nests of Anthophila (bees and bumblebees), where their caterpillars are parasitic feeders of wax, honey and pollen Pollen is a powdery substance prod ...

'' species. Others, especially the rice moth (''Corcyra cephalonica'') and '' Paralipsa'', are noted pests of stored food products.Solis (2007)

Systematics

The diversity of Galleriinae known in the mid-20th century was fully catalogued by P.E.S. Whalley of the UK

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...

, but no dedicated

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups ...

analysis has been conducted. Notwithstanding, such studies exist for the

Pyraloidea The Pyraloidea (pyraloid moths or snout moths) 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, and as such, they have be ...

as a whole, and these indicate that the Galleriinae are a rather primitive lineage of Pyralidae, comparable to the

. The latter may be the closest living relatives of the Galleriinae, or an independent but equally ancient snout moth lineage that simply looks similar due to sharing many

plesiomorph In phylogenetics, a plesiomorphy ("near form") and symplesiomorphy are synonyms for an ancestral character shared by all members of a clade, which does not distinguish the clade from other clades. Plesiomorphy, symplesiomorphy, apomorphy, ...

ic traits. The Galleriinae are currently divided into five

s, though this may change eventually. For one thing, some

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

are presently insufficiently studied or too aberrant to be firmly assignable to any one tribe; for another, in the absence of detailed phylogenetic studies the best systematic treatment for members of this subfamily remains a best guess. Furthermore, not all Galleriinae are known to science; new

and genera continue to be discovered. A supposed additional tribe ("Macrothecini") is based on a misidentified specimen of '' Cacotherapia interalbicalis''; on the other hand the genus '' Joelminetia'', of which the first specimens reached the hands of researchers only in the 1990s, turned out to be so distinct as to warrant establishment of its own

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

tribe.

The tribes and genera – with some significant species also noted – in this subfamily are:See references in Savela (2011)

Cacotherapiini Munroe, 1995 (= Macrothecini) * '' Alpheias'' Ragonot, 1891 * '' Alpheioides'' Barnes & McDunnough, 1912 * '' Cacotherapia'' Dyar, 1904 * '' Decaturia'' Barnes & McDunnough, 1912 * '' Genopaschia'' Dyar, 1914 Galleriini Zeller, 1848 * '' Achroia'' * '' Cathayia'' Hampson in Ragonot, 1901 * '' Chevalierella'' Ghesquière, 1943 * '' Eloeidiphilos'' Praviel, 1938 * ''

'' – greater wax moth, honeycomb moth * '' Trachylepidia'' Ragonot, 1887 Joelminetiini Speidel & Witt, 2007 * '' Joelminetia'' Speidel & Witt, 2007 Megarthridiini Whalley, 1964 * '' Cataprosopus'' Butler, 1881 * '' Eulophopalpia'' Inoue, 1982 * '' Megarthridia'' Martin, 1956 * '' Omphalocera'' Lederer, 1863 ** '' Omphalocera munroei'' – asimina webworm * '' Perinetoides'' Marion, 1955 * '' Sphinctocera'' Warren, 1897 * '' Thyridopyralis'' Dyar, 1901 Tirathabini Whalley, 1964 * '' Acracona'' * '' Acyperas'' * '' Antiptilotis'' Meyrick, 1897 * ''

'' * '' Bapara'' Walker, 1865 * '' Callionyma'' Meyrick, 1882 ** '' Callionyma sarcodes'' * '' Ceratothalama'' Meyrick, 1932 * ''

Corcyra Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

'' – rice moth * '' Cristia'' Whalley, 1964 * '' Doloessa'' Zeller, 1848 * ''

Eldana ''Eldana'' is a genus of moths of the family Pyralidae containing only one species, the African sugar-cane borer (''Eldana saccharina''), which is commonly found in Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and South Africa. Adults ha ...

'' * '' Epimorius'' Zeller, 1877 * '' Ertzica'' Walker, 1866 * '' Ethopia'' Walker, 1865 * '' Galleristhenia'' Hampson, 1917 * '' Heteromicta'' Meyrick, 1886 ** '' Heteromicta pachytera'' * '' Hypolophota'' Turner, 1904 * '' Lamoria'' * '' Mampava'' Ragonot, 1888 * '' Mecistophylla'' Turner, 1937 * '' Metaraphia'' Hampson in Ragonot, 1901 * '' Meyriccia'' Hampson, 1917 * '' Microchlora'' Hampson in Ragonot, 1901 * '' Neoepimorius'' Whalley, 1964 * '' Neophrida'' Möschler, 1882 * '' Paralipsa'' Butler, 1879 ** ''

Paralipsa gularis ''Paralipsa gularis'', the stored nut moth, is a moth of the family Pyralidae. It is found in Southeast Asia and is an introduced species in Western Europe. The wingspan is 21–32 mm. The caterpillars feed on stored nuts and seeds like wa ...

'' – stored nut moth * '' Paraphomia'' Hampson in Ragonot, 1901 * '' Parazanclodes'' Hampson in Ragonot, 1901 * '' Paroxyptera'' Ragonot, 1901 * '' Picrogama'' Meyrick, 1897 * '' Pocopaschia'' Dyar, 1914 * '' Pogrima'' Schaus, 1940 * '' Prasinoxena'' Meyrick, 1894 * '' Proropoca'' Hampson, 1916 * '' Prosthenia'' Hampson in Ragonot, 1901 * '' Schistotheca'' Ragonot, 1882 * '' Statia'' Ragonot, 1901 * '' Stenachroia'' Hampson, 1898 * '' Stenopaschia'' Hampson, 1906 * '' Thalamorrhyncha'' Meyrick, 1933 * '' Tirathaba'' Walker, 1864 * '' Xenophasma'' Dognin, 1905 ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...

'' * '' Gallerites'' Kernbach, 1967 * '' Marisba'' Walker, 1863 * '' Rhectophlebia'' Ragonot, 1888 * '' Yxygodes'' Viette, 1989

Footnotes

References

* Jia, Feng-You; Greenfield, Michael D. & Collins, Robert D. (2001): Ultrasonic Signal Competition Between Male Wax Moths. ''

Journal of Insect Behavior A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

'' 14(1): 19–33. PDF fulltext
* Pitkin, Brian & Jenkins, Paul (2004)
Butterflies and Moths of the World, Generic Names and their Type-species
�
''Macrotheca''
Version of November 5, 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2011. * Savela, Markku (2011)
Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms'': Galleriinae
Version of March 8, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2011. * Solis, M. Alma (2007): Phylogenetic studies and modern classification of the Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera). '' Revista Colombiana de Entomología'' 33(1): 1–8 nglish with Spanish abstractbr>HTML fulltext
* Zhou, Yihong; Kuster, Heidi K.; Pettis, Jeffrey S.; Danka, Robert G.; Gleason, Jennifer M. & Greenfield, Michael D. (2008): Reaction Norm Variants for Male Calling Song in Natural Populations of ''Achroia grisella'' (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae): towards a Resolution of the Lek Paradox. ''

Evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

'' 62(6): 1317–1334. PDF fulltextSupporting Information

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q365541 Moth subfamilies *