Gelechiid Moth
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The Gelechiidae are a family of
moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...
s commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied
superfamily SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP superfamilies. Domains are functional, str ...
Gelechioidea __NOTOC__ Gelechioidea (from the type genus ''Gelechia'', "keeping to the ground") is the Taxonomic rank, superfamily of moths that contains the case-bearers, twirler moths, and relatives, also simply called curved-horn moths or gelechioid moths. ...
, and the family's
taxonomy image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...
has been subject to considerable dispute. These are generally very small moths with narrow, fringed wings. The
larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...
e of most species feed internally on various parts of their host
plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...
s, sometimes causing
gall Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to benign tumors or war ...
s.
Douglas-fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is the tallest tree in the Pinaceae family. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Or ...
(''Pseudotsuga'') is a host plant common to many
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of the family, particularly of the
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''
Chionodes ''Chionodes'' is a genus of moths of the family Gelechiidae. It is distributed throughout much of the world. The larvae of many species use the Douglas fir as a host plant. Species *The formosella species-group **''Chionodes formosella''-complex ...
'', which as a result is more diverse in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
than usual for Gelechioidea. By the late 20th century, over 900 genera with altogether more than 4,500
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
were placed here, with about 650 genera known from North America alone. While these figures are certainly outdated, due to the many revisions to superfamily Gelechioidea and new descriptions of twirler moths, they still serve to show the enormous
biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...
contained in this important family. Being abundant,
fecund Fecundity is defined in two ways; in human demography, it is the potential for reproduction of a recorded population as opposed to a sole organism, while in population biology, it is considered similar to fertility, the capability to produce of ...
plant-eaters, many species are
agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...
pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...
, including: * ''
Anarsia lineatella ''Anarsia lineatella'', the peach twig borer, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is commonly found in Europe, but was introduced to California in the 1880s.''Integrated Pest Management for Almonds, Second Edition.'' University of California ...
'' – peach twig borer * ''
Aproaerema modicella ''Aproaerema modicella'' is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It was described by Deventer in 1904. It is found in Indonesia (Java) and India. It has been an invasive on the African continent since 1998 where it is a pest on groundnut and soybea ...
'' – groundnut leafminer * ''
Keiferia lycopersicella ''Keiferia lycopersicella'', the tomato pinworm, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in warm areas in Mexico, California, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Hawaii, Cuba, Hispaniola and the Bahamas. It has also been reported from greenhouses ...
'' – tomato pinworm * ''
Pectinophora gossypiella The pink bollworm (''Pectinophora gossypiella''; ) is an insect known for being a pest in cotton farming. The adult is a small, thin, gray moth with fringed wings. The larva is a dull white caterpillar with eight pairs of legs with conspicuous pin ...
'' – pink bollworm * ''
Phthorimaea operculella ''Phthorimaea operculella'', also known as the potato tuber moth or tobacco splitworm, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is an oligophagous insect that feeds on the plant family Solanaceae and is especially known for being a major pest o ...
'' – potato tuber moth, tobacco splitworm * ''
Sitotroga cerealella The Angoumois grain moth (''Sitotroga cerealella'') is a species of the Gelechiidae moth family, commonly referred to as the "rice grain moth". It is most abundant in the temperate or tropical climates of India, China, South Africa, Indonesia, ...
'' – angoumois grain moth * ''
Tecia solanivora ''Tecia solanivora'', the Central American potato tuberworm, Guatemalan tuber moth, or Guatemalan potato moth, is a moth in the family Gelechiidae. It was described by Povolný in 1973. It is found from Guatemala, through Central America (Costa R ...
'' (Povolny, 1973) – Guatemalan potato moth, Central American potato tuber moth * ''
Tuta absoluta ''Tuta absoluta'' or ''Phthorimaea absoluta'' is a species of moth in family Gelechiidae known by the common names South American tomato pinworm, tomato leafminer, tomato pinworm and South American tomato moth. It is well known as a serious pest o ...
'' – tomato leafminer, South American tomato moth The voracious habits of their
larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...
e make twirler moths suitable for
biological control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or o ...
of
invasive plant An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native speci ...
s. The spotted knapweed seedhead moth ('' Metzneria paucipunctella''), for example, is used to control
spotted knapweed ''Centaurea stoebe'', the spotted knapweed or panicled knapweed, is a species of ''Centaurea'' native to eastern Europe, although it has spread to North America, where it is considered an invasive species. It forms a tumbleweed, helping to incre ...
(''Centaurea maculosa'') in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
.


Taxonomy and systematics

Compared to the other massively diverse Gelechioidea families –
Coleophoridae The Coleophoridae are 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 temp ...
(case-bearers) and
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. ...
(concealer moths) – the
systematics Systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: phylogenetic trees, phylogenies). Phy ...
of the Gelechiidae are far less contentious. The "Deoclonidae", sometimes treated as a full gelechioid family, seem to be nothing other than a specialized offshoot from within the Gelechiidae, and are here included in the present family; some authors differ, however, and ally at least some of these genera with the
Autostichinae __NOTOC__ The Autostichinae are a subfamily of moths in the Taxonomic rank, superfamily Gelechioidea. Like their relatives therein, their exact relationships are not yet very well resolved. The present lineage was often included in the concealer m ...
and/or
Symmocidae The Symmocinae are a subfamily of moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. These small moths are found mainly in the Palearctic and Africa. In modern treatments, they are usually united with the concealer moth family Autostichidae. History of c ...
. On the other hand, the Schistonoeidae (scavenger moths) are preliminarily considered a distinct family here. Of the
subfamilies 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 zool ...
traditionally accepted for the Gelechiidae, only three were maintained for some time pending further information; at least one other, the Physoptilinae, were suggested to also be valid. But numerous genera of twirler moths – including most of the former "Deoclonidae" and also the proposed Physoptilinae – were of undetermined affiliation at that moment. Later studies, including a 2013 molecular analysis of the Gelechiidae, list the following subfamilies: Subfamily
Anacampsinae Anacampsinae is a subfamily of moths in the family Gelechiidae. Taxonomy and systematics *Anacampsini Bruand, 1850 **''Anacampsis'' Curtis, 1827 **''Aproaerema'' Durrant, 1897 **''Battaristis'' Meyrick, 1914 **''Chaliniastis'' Meyrick, 1904 **' ...
Bruand, 1850
Subfamily
Anomologinae Anomologinae is a subfamily of moths in the family Gelechiidae. Taxonomy and systematics *Tribe Anomologini **''Anomologa'' Meyrick, 1926 **''Aristotelia (moth), Aristotelia'' Hübner,
825 __NOTOC__ Year 825 (Roman numerals, DCCCXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place India * A group of Persio-Assyrian adherents of the Church of the East, under the leadership of two Persian bis ...
**''Atremaea'' Staudinger, 1871 **''Bryotropha'' Hein ...
Meyrick, 1926
Subfamily
Apatetrinae Apatetrinae is a subfamily of moths in the family Gelechiidae. The subfamily was described by Edward Meyrick in 1947. Taxonomy and systematics *Tribe Apatetrini **'' Apatetris'' Staudinger, 1880 **'' Dactylotula'' Cockerell, 1888 **'' Catatinagma ...
Meyrick, 1947
Subfamily
Dichomeridinae Dichomeridinae is a subfamily of moths in the family Gelechiidae. Distribution Almost worldwide, except the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Diversity The subfamily formerly included three tribes, about 29 genera and about 900 species. However, a ...
Hampson, 1918 (formerly including Chelariinae, which is now placed in Anacampsinae)
Subfamily
Gelechiinae Gelechiinae is a subfamily of moths in the family Gelechiidae. It was described by Henry Tibbats Stainton in 1854. Taxonomy The subfamily includes the following tribes and genera: *Litini Bruand, 1859 **'' Agnippe'' Chambers, 1872 **'' Altenia ...
Stainton, 1854
Subfamily Physoptilinae Meyrick, 1914
Subfamily
Thiotrichinae Thiotrichinae is a subfamily of moths in the family Gelechiidae. Genera *'' Macrenches'' Meyrick, 1904 *''Palumbina'' Rondani, 1876 *''Polyhymno ''Polyhymno'' is a genus of moths in the family Gelechiidae. Species Some species of this genus ...
Karsholt, Mutanen, Lee & Kaila, 2013 Genera ''
incertae sedis or is a term used for a taxonomy (biology), 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, uncertainty ...
'' *'' Aerotypia'' Walsingham, 1911. *'' Antithyra'' Meyrick, 1906. *'' Coniogyra'' Meyrick, 1921. *''
Dicranucha ''Dicranucha'' is a genus of moths in the family Gelechiidae. Species * '' Dicranucha albicincta'' (Meyrick, 1921) * '' Dicranucha crateropis'' (Meyrick, 1921) * '' Dicranucha dicksoni'' Janse, 1963 * ''Dicranucha homochroma'' Janse, 1954 * '' Di ...
'' Janse, 1954 *'' Metopios'' Lucas, 1945 *'' Paraschema'' Povolný, 1990 *'' Pseudosymmoca'' Rebel, 1903 *''
Sphagiocrates ''Sphagiocrates'' is a genus of moth in the family Gelechiidae The Gelechiidae are a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied Taxonomic rank, superfa ...
'' Meyrick, 1925 *'' Stenoalata'' Omelko in Omelko & Omelko, 1998 *'' Syrmadaula'' Meyrick, 1918


References


External links

* *
Gelechiidae


- list of preliminary subfamily/tribe assignments
mapress

Bugguide.net. Family Gelechiidae - Twirler Moths
{{Authority control Moth families