Lineodini is a

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 ...

of the species-rich subfamily

Spilomelinae Spilomelinae is a very species-rich subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae, the crambid snout moths. With 4,135 described species in 344 genera worldwide, it is the most speciose group among pyraloids. Description Imagines – the adu ...

in the

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 Pyralid ...

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 ...

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

Description

Lineodini comprise medium-sized moths, mostly with moderately broad wings, whereas in the slender, long-legged ''

Atomopteryx ''Atomopteryx'' is a genus of moths of the family Crambidae. Species *''Atomopteryx coelodactyla'' (Zeller, 1863) *''Atomopteryx doeri'' Walsingham, 1891 *''Atomopteryx erschoffiana'' (Zeller, 177) *''Atomopteryx incalis'' (Hampson, 1913) *''Atom ...

'' and ''

Lineodes ''Lineodes'' is a genus of snout moths of the subfamily Spilomelinae in the family Crambidae. The genus was described by Achille Guenée in 1854, with ''Lineodes hieroglyphalis'' as the type species. The genus is mostly Neotropical and souther ...

'', the wings are narrow and almost pterophorid-like. Females exhibit only one frenular bristle on the hind wing base, with the exception of '' Rhectosemia'', where two frenular bristles are present. The sacci tympani of the

tympanal organ A tympanal organ (or tympanic organ) is a hearing organ in insects, consisting of a membrane ( tympanum) stretched across a frame backed by an air sac and associated sensory neurons. Sounds vibrate the membrane, and the vibrations are sensed by ...

are ventrally open. In the

male genitalia Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization. A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to ...

, the valvae are of variable shape, from very slender to relatively broad and triangular with a broad valva base or paddle-shaped with a narrow valva base. The valva apex is rounded to somewhat acute. The costa is straight to concave, as in other non-euspilomeline species. The fibula is variable in shape, being either slender and emerging from the costa base or shorter and emerging more from the centre of the valva; in '' Euleucinodes'' and '' Proleucinodes'', the fibula is absent. The valva sacculus is usually simple, whereas in ''

Leucinodes ''Leucinodes'' is a genus of moths of the family Crambidae. It was first described by Achille Guenée in 1854. ''Leucinodes'' species have been documented as eggplant fruit borers. They are occasionally imported by accident from African and As ...

'' there is a distal sacculus process that is in close association with the fibula. The posterior phallus is simple and unmodified or with sclerotized appendages. In the

female genitalia 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 ...

, the ductus bursae is normally unsclerotized – a

synapomorphy 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 hav ...

of Lineodini. However, in ''

'' and ''

Neoleucinodes ''Neoleucinodes'' is a genus of Pyraloidea, snout moths of the subfamily Spilomelinae in the family (biology), family Crambidae. The genus was described by Hahn William Capps in 1948 as a Neotropical realm, Neotropical split-off of the Old World ...

'' the posterior ductus bursae, the colliculum and the antrum are often partially sclerotized often have a thickened mesocuticle. The corpus bursae is membranous, but at least '' Rhectosemia antofagastalis'' and '' R. striata'' exhibit a small sclerotized signum. Leucinodes cordalis female

Food plants

As far as known, Lineodini feed exclusively on

Solanaceae The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and o ...

plants like

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word , ...

eggplant Eggplant ( US, Canada), aubergine ( UK, Ireland) or brinjal (Indian subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit. Mo ...

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Un ...

, ''

Capsicum ''Capsicum'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to the Americas, cultivated worldwide for their chili pepper or bell pepper fruit. Etymology and names The generic name may come from Latin , mean ...

'' (pepper), ''

Physalis ''Physalis'' (, , , , from φυσαλλίς ''phusallís'' "bladder") is a genus of approximately 75 to 90 flowering plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), which are native to the Americas and Australasia. At least 46 species are endemic ...

'' and numerous others. The

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

s tie leaves together or bore in the plant, especially in fruits, by which they diminish or ruin the marketable value of the fruits.

Distribution

Except for the

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by th ...

'', all Lineodini have a

Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bi ...

to temperate

Nearctic The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America ...

distribution. Species feeding on globally traded Solanaceae fruits are frequently transported by accident through fruits occupied by larvae. In

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

, the

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

n ''

Leucinodes orbonalis ''Leucinodes orbonalis'', the eggplant fruit and shoot borer or brinjal fruit and shoot borer, is a moth species in the genus '' Leucinodes'' described by Achille Guenée in 1854. Its native distribution is in the tropical and subtropical parts o ...

'' as well as the

Afrotropical The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the island ...

'' L. africensis'', '' L. pseudorbonalis'' and '' L. rimavallis'' are frequently intercepted at ports of entry.

Systematics

The tribe Lineodini was proposed in 1956 by

Hans Georg Amsel Hans Georg Amsel (29 March 1905 – 20 October 1999) was a German entomologist with four publications ranging from 1951 to 1962. His home town was Cologne, although he frequently was in Kiel. His original job was in the banking industry, and he la ...

in his "Microlepidoptera Venezolana" monography. He erected the tribe for the genus ''

'' for its outstanding habitus, genitalia and wing venation, and further included ''Stenoptycha'' in the group, which is now considered a synonym of ''

''. The proposed tribe did not gain much acceptance and was considered a synonym of

Pyraustinae Pyraustinae is a large subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae, the crambid snout moths. It currently includes over 1,400 species; most of them tropical but some found in temperate regions including both North America and Europe. The P ...

, and later of Spilomelinae, a split-off of Pyraustinae, mostly due to a lack of a comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary relationships among the very species-rich Spilomelinae. Lineodini in its current circumscription was mentioned by Hayden et al. (2013) as "''Leucinodes'' genus group", and was reinstated as tribe in 2019. Capps (1948) split off three Neotropical genera from the Old World ''

'': '' Euleucinodes'', ''

'' and '' Proleucinodes''. Seven genera, altogether comprising 94 species, are currently placed in Lineodini: *''

'' Walsingham, 1891 (synonyms ''Zellerina'' Torre & Callejas, 1958, ''Stenoptycha'' Zeller, 1863) *'' Euleucinodes'' Capps, 1948 *''

'' Guenée, 1854 (synonyms ''Hyperanalyta'' Strand, 1918, ''Sceliodes'' Guenée, 1854; misspelling ''Leuctinodes'' South, 1897) *''

'' Guenée, 1854 (synonyms ''Ciraphorus'' Dyar, 1910, ''Scoptonoma'' Zeller, 1873) *''

'' Capps, 1948 *'' Proleucinodes'' Capps, 1948 *'' Rhectosemia'' Lederer, 1863 (misspelling ''Rhectosomia'' Lederer, 1863)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q85776760 Spilomelinae Moth tribes