Portentomorphini 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 subfamily

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 ...

in the pyraloid moth

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 ...

. The tribe was initially erected 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 1956.

Description

Adult Portentomorphini are relatively small

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

s with a forewing length of , or a wingspan of . The forewing maculation is usually of a yellow colour, but often exhibits a distinctively red or orange postmedial (outer) area. The tribe is characterised by a number of

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 hav ...

, particularly in the morphology of the genitalia. The male genitalia are rather unique among Pyraustinae and Crambidae in general in having the costa detached from the valva and projecting freely in a

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal co ...

direction, with the apex bearing a field of setae. The valva mostly is reduced to the large, membranous sacculus, which reaches far out and ends in a setose field. A thin and elongate, often articulated fibula of curved shape emerges from the centre of the dorsal valva edge, reaching in a dorsal direction. The narrow uncus without setae is often forked at its tip. In the female genitalia, the appendix bursae, a membranous pouch, emerges at the

anterior Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

end of the ductus bursae, close to where it transitions into the corpus bursae; in ''Pioneabathra'', however, it is laterally attached to the corpus bursae. The signum, a

sclerotised Sclerotin is a component of the cuticle of various Arthropoda, most familiarly insects. It is formed by cross-linking members of particular classes of protein molecules, a biochemical process called sclerotization, a form of tanning in which qu ...

structure in the corpus bursae, varies in shape among the members of Portentomorphini: a four-armed star in ''Hyalobathra'' and ''Cryptosara'', an elongate ovoid sclerite in ''Portentomorpha'', or two large, opposing granulose areas in ''Pioneabathra'' and ''Isocentris filalis''.

Food plants

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 of Portentomorphini primarily feed on plants of the

Phyllanthaceae Phyllanthaceae is a family of flowering plants in the eudicot order Malpighiales. It is most closely related to the family Picrodendraceae.Kenneth J. Wurdack and Charles C. Davis. 2009. "Malpighiales phylogenetics: Gaining ground on one of the ...

family: '' Portentomorpha xanthialis'' feeds on ''

Margaritaria nobilis ''Margaritaria nobilis'', also known as bastard hogberry, is a fruit-bearing plant found in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic O ...

'', species of ''

Hyalobathra ''Hyalobathra'' is a genus of moths of the family Crambidae. The genus was erected by Edward Meyrick in 1885. Species *''Hyalobathra aequalis'' (Lederer, 1863) *''Hyalobathra archeleuca'' Edward Meyrick, Meyrick, 1885 *''Hyalobathra barnsalis'' ( ...

'' are reported from ''

Glochidion ''Glochidion'' is a genus of flowering plants, of the family Phyllanthaceae, known as cheese trees or buttonwood in Australia, and leafflower trees in the scientific literature. It comprises about 300 species, distributed from Madagascar to the P ...

'' and ''

Phyllanthus ''Phyllanthus'' is the largest genus in the plant family Phyllanthaceae. Estimates of the number of species in this genus vary widely, from 750David J. Mabberley. 2008. ''Mabberley's Plant-Book.'' third edition (2008). Cambridge University P ...

'', ''

Pioneabathra olesialis ''Pioneabathra'' is a genus of moths of the family Crambidae. It contains only one species, ''Pioneabathra olesialis'', which is found on the Comoros and the Seychelles and in Mali, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, ...

'' and ''

Isocentris filalis ''Isocentris filalis'' is a moth of the family Crambidae described by Achille Guenée in 1854. It is found in Cameroon, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Réunion, Madagascar, Mauritius, Togo Indonesia ( Java), Myanmar and T ...

'' from ''

Flueggea ''Flueggea'', the bushweeds, is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Phyllanthaceae first described as a genus in 1806. It is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, and various oceanic islands, with a few species in South America and on th ...

'', and ''

Mabra eryxalis ''Mabra eryxalis'' is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1859. It is found on the Chagos Archipelago and Sumatra, as well as in China, Taiwan, Mayotte, Réunion, Sri Lanka and Australia, where it has been rec ...

'' from '' Phyllanthus urinaria''. Several non-Phyllanthaceae hosts are known, such as ''

Euphorbia virosa ''Euphorbia virosa'', the Gifboom or poison tree, is a plant of the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. It has a short main stem, usually twisted, from which 5–10 cm branches emerge. These leafless branches have 5 to 8 edges. Paired thorns grow ...

'' (

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as '' Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, ...

) and ''

Sphaeranthus indicus ''Sphaeranthus indicus'', the East Indian globe thistle, is a flowering plant of the genus ''Sphaeranthus''. It is distributed from Northern Australia throughout Indomalaya. The plant has been studied for its potential health-promoting properties, ...

'' (

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae ...

) for '' Isocentris'', and ''

Abrus precatorius ''Abrus precatorius'', commonly known as jequirity bean or rosary pea, is a herbaceous flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae. It is a slender, perennial climber with long, pinnate-leafleted leaves that twines around trees, shrubs, and hed ...

'' ( Fabaceae) and ''

Helianthus annuus The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its Sunflower seed, edible oily seeds. Apart from sunflower oil, cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as ...

'' (Asteraceae) for ''

''; furthermore, '' P. olesialis'' was reported from ''

Solanum ''Solanum'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, which include three food crops of high economic importance: the potato, the tomato and the eggplant (aubergine, brinjal). It is the largest genus in the nightshade family Solanacea ...

'' (

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 ...

), and ''

'' from

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domestica ...

( Poaceae).

Distribution

The species of Portentomorphini are distributed in the tropics and subtropics of Australia,

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and

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 ...

as well as

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

; an exception is '' Hyalobathra intermedialis'', which was described from material collected in the

Qin Mountains The Qinling () or Qin Mountains, formerly known as the Nanshan ("Southern Mountains"), are a major east–west mountain range in southern Shaanxi Province, China. The mountains mark the divide between the drainage basins of the Yangtze and Yellow ...

in the Central

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of v ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), Ning ...

province at an elevation of .

Systematics

The tribe Portentomorphini was described by

in 1956 based on the newly described genus ''

Portentomorpha ''Portentomorpha'' is a genus of moths of the family Crambidae. It contains only one species, ''Portentomorpha xanthialis'', which is found from Texas to Louisiana and Florida, the West Indies (including Cuba, Puerto Rico) and from Mexico to Boli ...

'' Amsel, 1956 with its single species ''P. incalis'' (Snellen, 1875), which is currently considered a junior synonym of '' P. xanthialis'' (Gueneé, 1854). The tribe was long considered a synonym of Pyraustinae, as the

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

relationships in this group had not been studied. A 2019 study eventually investigated the relationships among Pyraustinae and the related

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 ...

and found ''Portentomorpha'' together with ''Cryptosara'' and ''Hyalobathra'' to form a

monophyletic group A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

, consequently reinstating the name Portentomorphini on the level of a

. However, a study from 2022 found Portentomorphini nested within the tribe Pyraustini, rendering the latter tribe

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

. Portentomorphini currently comprises 44 species in the following six genera: *''

Cryptosara ''Cryptosara'' is a genus of moths of the family 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 ...

'' E. L. Martin in Marion, 1957 (3 species) *''

Meyrick Meyrick is a surname and given name. Meyricke is a variant form. Surname * Edmund Meyrick (1636–1713), Welsh cleric * Edward Meyrick (1854–1938), English schoolmaster and amateur entomologist * Edward Meyrick Goulburn (1818–1897), Englis ...

, 1885 (synonym ''Leucocraspeda''

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...

, 1890; 21 species) *'' Isocentris''

, 1887 (8 species) *''

Mabra ''Mabra'' is a genus of moths of the family Crambidae. It is placed in the tribe Portentomorphini of the subfamily Pyraustinae. The nine species of the genus are mainly distributed in tropical Asia, but '' M. metallescens'' and '' M. russoi'' are ...

Moore Moore may refer to: People * Moore (surname) ** List of people with surname Moore * Moore Crosthwaite (1907–1989), a British diplomat and ambassador * Moore Disney (1765–1846), a senior officer in the British Army * Moore Powell (died c. 1 ...

, 1885 (synonyms ''Neurophruda''

, 1896, ''Streptobela''

Turner Turner may refer to: People and fictional characters *Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name *One who uses a lathe for turnin ...

, 1937; 9 species) *''

Pioneabathra ''Pioneabathra'' is a genus of moths of the family Crambidae. It contains only one species, ''Pioneabathra olesialis'', which is found on the Comoros and the Seychelles and in Mali, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozamb ...

'' J. C. Shaffer &

Munroe Munroe is a derivation of the Scottish surname Munro, and may refer to: In politics * Allen Munroe (1819–1884), New York politician * Daniel Munroe Forney, Congressional Representative from North Carolina * George H. Munroe (1844–1912), ...

, 2007 (2 species) *''

'' Amsel, 1956 (synonym ''Apoecetes''

, 1956; 1 species)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q116521736 Pyraustinae Moth tribes