''Laniifera'' is a genus of snout moths in the

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 ...

Crambidae Crambidae comprises the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, with the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies ...

. The genus was erected by

George Hampson Sir George Francis Hampson, 10th Baronet (14 January 1860 – 15 October 1936) was an English entomologist. Hampson studied at Charterhouse School and Exeter College, Oxford. He travelled to India to become a tea-planter in the Nilgiri Hills ...

in 1899 with ''Pachynoa cyclades'' Druce, 1895 as

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

. 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 ...

s of ''Laniifera cyclades'' feed on ''

Opuntia ''Opuntia'', commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers. Cacti are native to the Americas, and are well adapted to arid clima ...

'' (prickly pear cactuses) and are considered a pest of commercially grown ''Opuntia'' species. The genus with its two species is distributed in Mexico, the southern United States (

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

) and the Dominican Republic.

Species

*''

Laniifera cyclades ''Laniifera'' is a genus of snout moths in the family Crambidae. The genus was erected by George Hampson in 1899 with ''Pachynoa cyclades'' Druce, 1895 as type species. The caterpillars of ''Laniifera cyclades'' feed on ''Opuntia'' (prickly pe ...

'' (Druce, 1895) *''

Laniifera rawlinsi ''Laniifera'' is a genus of snout moths in the family Crambidae. The genus was erected by George Hampson in 1899 with ''Pachynoa cyclades'' Druce, 1895 as type species. The caterpillars of ''Laniifera cyclades'' feed on ''Opuntia'' (prickly pe ...

'' Hayden, 2020

References

Spilomelinae Crambidae genera Taxa named by George Hampson {{Asciodini-stub