Lathrotelinae is 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 ...

of the pyraloid

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 ...

described by

John Frederick Gates Clarke John Frederick Gates Clarke (February 22, 1905 – September 17, 1990) was a Canadian-American entomologist and an authority on moths. He worked at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natu ...

in 1971. It currently comprises 54

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), ...

in six

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

Description

Characteristic features of the Lathrotelinae are the undulating wing outline, the absent

chaetosemata This glossary of entomology describes terms used in the formal study of insect species by entomologists. A–C A synthetic chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide, toxic to vertebrates. Though ...

on the imaginal head, the completely reduced gnathos, and the male genitalia's

aedeagus An aedeagus ( or aedeagi) is a reproductive organ of male arthropods through which they secrete sperm from the testes during copulation (zoology), copulation with a female. It can be thought of as the insect equivalent of a mammal's penis, th ...

with a strongly spiculose "manica" on its posterior end. Lathrotelinae were suggested to be closely related to

Acentropinae Acentropinae is a fairly small subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae, the crambid snout moths. Species of this subfamily are exclusively found in wetlands and aquatic habitats. Systematics In modern treatments, the former subfa ...

based on two

synapomorphies In phylogenetics, an apomorphy (or derived trait) is a novel character or character state that has evolved from its ancestral form (or plesiomorphy). A synapomorphy is an apomorphy shared by two or more taxa and is therefore hypothesized to ...

in the second

sternum The sternum (: sternums or sterna) or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major bl ...

of the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...

, but a

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

study of

based on genetic data found the subfamily to be the

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

of the

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

-feeding

Musotiminae Musotiminae is a subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1884 Genera *''Aeolopetra'' *''Albusambia'' *''Ambia (moth), Ambia'' (= ''Metathyrida'' , ''Metathyridia'' ) *''Austromusotima'' *''Baeopt ...

Food plants

Little is known on the larval stage of Lathrotelinae. The few known larvae feed on

monocotyledon Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, ( Lilianae '' sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are flowering plants whose seeds contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. A monocot taxon has been in use for several decades, but with various ranks ...

plants and are occasionally found as pest species on

oil palms ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms, called oil palms, containing two species, native to Africa and the Americas. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. Description Mature palms are single-stemmed, and can grow ...

and

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

Systematics

Until the mid-2010s, Lathrotelinae have been treated within the subfamily

Spilomelinae Spilomelinae is a very species-rich subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae, the crambid snout moths. With 4,180 described species in 351 genera worldwide, it is the most speciose group among pyraloidea, pyraloids. Description Imagines ...

. However, recent studies concluded that '' Lathroteles obscura'' J.F.G Clarke, 1971 and several other species are misplaced in Spilomelinae and require a separate subfamily. According to the

International Code of Zoological Nomenclature The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted Convention (norm), convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific name, scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the I ...

Principle of Priority Priority is a principle in Taxonomy (biology), biological taxonomy by which a valid scientific name is established based on the oldest available name. It is a decisive rule in Botanical nomenclature, botanical and zoological nomenclature to recogn ...

, the family group name Lathrotelidae J.F.G. Clarke, 1971 applies to this subfamily. Lathrotelinae currently includes the following genera: *'' Acropentias'' Meyrick, 1890 – 2 species *''

Diplopseustis ''Diplopseustis'' is a genus of snout moths in the subfamily Lathrotelinae of the family Crambidae. It was described in 1884 by Edward Meyrick with ''Cymoriza minima'' Butler, 1881 as its type species, which is now considered a synonym of '' Dipl ...

'' Meyrick, 1884 – 7 species *'' Diplopseustoides'' Guillermet, 2013 – 1 species *'' Lathroteles'' J.F.G. Clarke, 1971 – 1 species *''

Orthoraphis ''Orthoraphis'' is a genus of moths of the family Crambidae described by George Hampson in 1896. The genus was recently transferred from the subfamily Spilomelinae to Lathrotelinae Lathrotelinae is a subfamily of the Pyraloidea, pyraloid fami ...

'' Hampson, 1896 – 4 species *'' Sufetula'' Walker, 1859 – 39 species The group has been poorly studied, and several additional species await description e.g. in the

Indomalayan The Indomalayan realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms. It extends across most of South and Southeast Asia and into the southern parts of East Asia. Also called the Oriental realm by biogeographers, Indomalaya spreads all over the Ind ...

and Australasian region.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q21220234 Crambidae