The Epipaschiinae are a

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

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

s (

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Pyralidae). More than 720 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. A few Epipaschiinae are crop pests that may occasionally become economically significant.

Description and ecology

Adult females are often hard to distinguish from related lineages, and even the larvae do not possess the characteristic sclerotized bristle base near the start of the abdomen, whose position is a tell-tale mark of the other subfamilies of Pyralidae. By contrast, the adult males of Epipaschiinae are easier to recognize, and three of their traits support the assumption that Epipaschiinae are a natural, monophyletic group: # an always upturned and pointed third segment of the labial palpi # a ventrally curved phallobase of the male which usually extends beyond the ductus ejaculatorius # the weakly sclerotized tegumen In addition, in most cases the adult males of this subfamily have a conspicuous scaled projection from the scape of the antennae. The

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 ...

larvae are leaf rollers, leaf tiers and

leaf miner A leaf miner is any one of numerous species of insects in which the larval stage lives in, and eats, the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths (Lepidoptera), sawflies (Symphyta, a paraphyletic group which ...

s. As pests, they infest such diverse plants as ''

Persea americana The avocado, alligator pear or avocado pear (''Persea americana'') is an evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to Americas, the Americas and was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago. It was priz ...

'' (avocado), ''

Swietenia ''Swietenia'' is a genus of trees in the Melia azedarach, chinaberry family, Meliaceae. It occurs natively in the Neotropics, from southern Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America south to Bolivia. The genus is named for Dutch-Austria ...

'' (mahoganies), or ''

Zea mays Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

'' (corn). However, they are usually a mere nuisance and do not cause large-scale crop failure.

Systematics

Alma Solis (1993) provided a phylogenetic analysis of 20 genera of the ''Pococera'' complex, consisting of some 300 species in the Western Hemisphere. *'' Accinctapubes'' Solis, 1993 *'' Agastophanes'' Turner, 1937 *'' Anaeglis'' Lederer, 1863 *'' Anarnatula'' Dyar, 1918 *'' Anexophana'' Viette, 1960 *'' Apocera'' Schaus, 1912 (= ''Paranatula'' Dyar, 1913) *'' Araeopaschia'' Hampson, 1906 (= ''Aroeopaschia'' Amsel, 1956) *'' Astrapometis'' Meyrick, 1884 *'' Austropaschia'' Hampson, 1916 *'' Axiocrita'' Turner, 1913 *'' Bibasilaris'' Solis, 1993 *'' Cacozelia'' Grote, 1878 *'' Calybitia'' Schaus, 1922 *'' Canipsa'' Walker, 1866 (= ''Sarama'' Moore, 1888, ''Scopocera'' Moore, 1888) *'' Carthara'' Walker, 1865 (= ''Leptosphetta'' Butler, 1878, ''Pycnulia'' Zeller, 1881) *'' Catalaodes'' Viette, 1953 *'' Catamola'' Meyrick, 1884 (= ''Elaphernis'' Meyrick, 1936) *'' Cecidipta'' Berg, 1877 (= ''Acecidipta'' Amsel, 1956) *'' Chloropaschia'' Hampson, 1906 *'' Coenodomus'' Walsingham, 1888 (= ''Alippa'' Aurivillius, 1894, ''Dyaria'' Neumoegen, 1893) *'' Dasyvesica'' Solis, 1991 *'' Deuterollyta'' Lederer, 1863 (= ''Ajacania'' Schaus, 1925, ''Ajocara'' Schaus, 1925, ''Oedomia'' Dognin, 1906, ''Winona'' Hulst, 1888) *'' Doddiana'' Turner, 1902 *'' Elisabethinia'' Ghesquière, 1942 *'' Ephedrophila'' Dumont, 1928 *'' Epilepia'' Janse, 1931 *'' Epipaschia'' Clemens, 1860 *'' Eublemmodes'' Gaede, 1917 *'' Geropaschia'' Hampson, 1917 (= ''Araeopaschia'' Hampson, 1916) *'' Glossopaschia'' Dyar, 1914 *'' Heminomistis'' Meyrick, 1933 *'' Homura'' Lederer, 1863 *'' Incarcha'' Dyar, 1910 *'' Isolopha'' Hampson, 1895 (= ''Islopha'' Janse, 1931) *'' Jocara'' Walker, 1863 (= '' Toripalpus'' Grote, 1878) *'' Lacalma'' Janse, 1931 *'' Lameerea'' Ghesquière, 1942 *'' Lamida'' Walker, 1859 (= ''Allata'' Walker, 1863) *'' Lepidogma'' Meyrick, 1890 (= ''Asopina'' Christoph, 1893, ''Precopia'' Ragonot, 1891) *'' Lepipaschia'' J. C. Shaffer & Solis, 1994 *'' Leptoses'' Ghesquière, 1942 *''

Lista Lista is a former municipality located in the old Vest-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1965. The administrative centre was the village of Vanse where Vanse Church is located. Lista municip ...

'' Walker, 1859 (= ''Belonepholis'' Butler, 1889, ''Craneophora'' Christoph, 1881, ''Paracme'' Lederer, 1863) *'' Locastra'' Walker, 1859 (= ''Taurica'' Walker, 1866) *'' Macalla'' Walker, 1859 (= ''Aradrapha'' Walker, 1866, ''Mochlocera'' Grote, 1876, ''Pseudomacalla'' Dognin, 1908) *'' Mazdacis'' Solis, 1993 *'' Mediavia'' Solis, 1993 *'' Micropaschia'' Hampson, 1906 *'' Milgithea'' Schaus, 1922 (= ''Miligithea'' Neave, 1940) *'' Mimaglossa'' Warren, 1891 *'' Neopaschia'' Janse, 1922 *'' Noctuides'' Staudinger, 1892 (= ''Anartula'' Staudinger, 1893, ''Arnatula'' Hampson, 1896, ''Parorthaga'' Hampson, 1896) *'' Nouanda'' Holland & Schaus, 1925 *'' Nyctereutica'' Turner, 1904 (= ''Diastrophica'' Turner, 1937) *'' Obutobea'' Ghesquière, 1942 *'' Odontopaschia'' Hampson, 1903 *'' Omphalepia'' Hampson, 1906 *'' Omphalota'' Hampson, 1899 *'' Oneida'' Hulst, 1889 *'' Orthaga'' Walker, 1859 (= ''Edeta'' Walker, 1859, ''Hyperbalanotis'' Warren, 1891, ''Pannucha'' Moore, 1888, ''Proboscidophora'' Warren, 1891) *'' Oxyalcia'' Dognin, 1905 *'' Pandoflabella'' Solis, 1993 *'' Parastericta'' Janse, 1931 *'' Peplochora'' Meyrick, 1933 *'' Phidotricha'' Ragonot, 1889 (= ''Eutrichocera'' Hampson, 1904, ''Jocarula'' Dyar, 1925) *'' Plumiphora'' Janse, 1931 *'' Plutopaschia'' Hampson, 1917 *'' Pococera'' Zeller, 1848 (= ''Attacapa'' Hulst, 1889, ''Auradisa'' Walker, 1866, ''Benta'' Walker, 1863, ''Hemimatia'' Lederer, 1863, ''Katona'' Hulst, 1888, ''Lanthaphe'' Clemens, 1860, ''Lanthape'' Hulst, 1903, ''Loma'' Hulst, 1888, ''Saluda'' Hulst, 1888, ''Tetralopha'' Zeller, 1848, ''Tioga'' Hulst, 1888, ''Afra'' Ghesquière, 1942, ''Wanda'' Hulst, 1888) *'' Poliopaschia'' Hampson, 1916 *'' Polylophota'' Hampson, 1906 *'' Pseudocera'' Walker, 1863 *'' Quadraforma'' Solis, 1993 *'' Rhynchopaschia'' Hampson, 1906 *'' Roeseliodes'' Warren, 1891 *'' Salma'' Walker, 1863 (= ''Calinipaxa'' Walker, 1866, ''Enchesphora'' Turner, 1913, ''Exacosmia'' Walker, 1865, ''Heterobella'' Turner, 1904, ''Heterobela'' Turner, 1904, ''Orthotrichophora'' Warren, 1891, ''Parasarama'' Warren, 1890, ''Parasamera'' Sharp, 1892, ''Pseudolocastra'' Snellen, 1890, ''Pseudolocastra'' Warren, 1891) *'' Schoutedenidea'' Ghesquière, 1942 *'' Sparactica'' Meyrick, 1938 *'' Spectrotrota'' Warren, 1891 *'' Speiroceras'' Chrétien, 1911 *'' Stericta'' Lederer, 1863 (= ''Glossina'' Guenée, 1854, ''Matalia'' Walker, 1866, ''Oncobela'' Turner, 1937, ''Phialia'' Walker, 1866) *'' Sultania'' Koçak, 1987 *'' Taiwanastrapometis'' Shibuya, 1928 *'' Tallula'' Hulst, 1888 *'' Tancoa'' Schaus, 1922 *'' Teliphasa'' Moore, 1888 (= ''Sultania'' Koçak, 1987) *'' Termioptycha'' Meyrick, 1889 (= ''Sialocyttara'' Turner, 1913) *'' Tineopaschia'' Hampson, 1916 *'' Titanoceros'' Meyrick, 1884 *'' Trichotophysa'' Warren, 1896 *'' Yuma'' Hulst, 1889

References

* (2011)
Epipaschiinae Meyrick
''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms''. Retrieved May 12, 2017. * (2007): Phylogenetic studies and modern classification of the Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera). '' Revista Colombiana de Entomología'' 33(1): 1–8 nglish with Spanish abstractbr>HTML fulltext

External links

at the University of Florida Featured Creatures website

at the University of Florida Featured Creatures website {{Taxonbar, from=Q3055773 Moth subfamilies