Galleriinae
| Galleriinae | |
|---|---|
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|
| Tirathaba rufivena of tribe Tirathabini | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Pyralidae |
| Subfamily: |
Galleriinae Zeller, 1848 |
| Type species | |
|
Phalaena cereana Blom, 1764 |
|
| Diversity | |
| 5 tribes (and see text) About 70 genera About 300 species |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Macrothecinae Barnes & McDunnough, 1912 |
|
Macrothecinae Barnes & McDunnough, 1912
The Galleriinae are a subfamily of snout moths (family Pyralidae) and occur essentially worldwide, in some cases aided by involuntary introduction by humans. This subfamily includes the wax moths, whose caterpillars (waxworms) are bred on a commercial scale as food for pets and as fishing bait; in the wild, these and other species of Galleriinae may also be harmful to humans as pests.
At the species level, they are the least diverse snout moth subfamily according to current knowledge, with about 300 described species altogether. However, as regards major lineages, the Galleriinae are quite diverse, with 5 tribes being recognized – more than in the Phycitinae, the most species-rich snout moth subfamily. One of these tribes, the Joelminetiini, has been described only in 2007, and presently contains a single and highly aberrant genus.
The caterpillar larvae of Galleriinae usually have a sclerotised (hardened) ring around the base of seta SD1 on the first abdominal segment. Their pupae are comparatively easy to distinguish from other snout moths' by a readily apparent midline ridge running along the thorax and abdomen. In the imagines, the gnathos of the male genitalia is reduced to the point of disappearing altogether or (more rarely) with only the barest vestige remaining; this is quite characteristic except for a few Chrysauginae which have convergently lost the gnathos. Males produce very high chirping sounds with their tegulae, in some cases even regular "mating songs", though without specialized bioacoustics equipment this cannot be used for identification. Unusual for Pyralidae, adult Galleriinae may lack ocelli and even the proboscis (which is usually well-developed in the family); as typical for the family, however, they usually have large labial palps which form a "snout".
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Wikipedia