Microlepidoptera

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
alucitid many-plumed moth in the top centre; a white pterophorid
plume moth in the centre.

Microlepidoptera (micromoths) is an artificial (i.e., unranked and not

monophyletic) grouping of moth families, commonly known as the "smaller moths" (micro, Lepidoptera). These generally have wingspans of under 20 mm, so are harder to identify by external phenotypic markings than macrolepidoptera. They present some lifestyles that the larger Lepidoptera do not have, but this is not an identifying mark. Some hobbyists further divide this group into separate groups, such as leaf miners or rollers, stem or root borers, and then usually follow the more rigorous scientific taxonomy of lepidopterans
. Efforts to stabilize the term have usually proven inadequate.

Diversity

Andesianoidea is another case in point; lurking within the Cossoidae until 2001, these moths have up to an order of magnitude greater wingspan (5.5 cm) than most previously known monotrysian
"micros". Whilst the smaller moths are usually also more seldom noticed, a more expansive "nonmacrolepidopteran" concept of the microlepidoptera would include about 37 out of the roughly 47 superfamilies.

Whilst usually less popular, micros are thus more important in the sense that they include a much wider span of the "tree of life" (i.e.,

macrophotography
, is making them much easier to identify.

Lifestyle

Microlepidoptera can be found in a broad variety of habitats and

plume moth and the various species of clothes moth
.

Main groups

The list below is ordered initially in approximate order of species

ecological abundance. The first four superfamilies listed here may comprise 90% of species in a sample of smaller moths and the listed characters may be of some assistance to sort these out, particularly the form of the labial palp and scaling
of the proboscis (Robinson et al. 2001).

1. Curved horn moths, twirler moths, case-bearers and allies – 16,250 spp.

2. Pyralids, snout moths and grass moths – 16,000 spp.

  • Pyraloidea: Head rough-scaled, proboscis scaled, tympanal organs on abdomen; labial palps usually not recurved, terminal segment usually blunt. Hindwing veins ("Sc" + "R1") and "Rs" are close or fused in the middle of the wing; resting posture usually either with wings tightly rolled or and held quite flat to surface in triangular shape and with labial palps often projecting forward, giving Concorde-like appearance; antennae often swept back parallel together over body. Generally they are considered the closest group to 'macrolepidoptera', and maybe ancestral to it, macrolepidoptera itself is not a universally accepted taxon.

3. Tortrix moths, leaf-roller moths, bell moths, codling moths and allies – 6,200 spp.

4. Clothes moths, bagworms and allies – 4,200 spp.

  • Tineoidea: Head often with tufty erect scales; labial palps usually have bristles on middle segment and terminal segment is long; wings usually held over back in tent-like position and head close to surface; tineids often run fast
    • Tineidae – clothes moths and fungus moths
    • Eriocottidae – Old World spiny winged moths
    • Acrolophidae
      – tube moths
    • Arrhenophanidae
      – tropical lattice moths
    • Psychidae – bagworm moths
    • Lypusidae – European bagworm moths

5, 6. Leaf miner moths – 3,200 spp.

7. Ermine moths, webworm moths, yucca moths and allies – 1,500 spp.

8, 9. Plume moths – 1,160 spp.

  • Pterophoridae – plume moths – 1,000 spp.
  • Alucitidae
    – many-plumed moths – 160 spp.

10. Tropical leaf moths or picture-winged moths – more than 1000 spp.

11. Fairy moths, longhorn moths and allies – 600 spp.

12. Metalmark moths – 402 spp.

13. Mandibulate archaic moths – 180 spp.

14. Sparkling archaic sun moths or spring jewel moths – 24 spp.

Superfamilies less likely to be encountered:

15. Tropical fruitworm moths – 318 spp.

16. Fringe tufted moths – 83 spp.

17. Blackberry leaf skeletonizer and allies – 8 spp.

18. Immid moths – 250 spp.

19. False burnet moths – 60 spp.

20. Tropical teak moths – 20 spp.

21. Whalley's Malagasy moths – 2 spp.

  • Whalleyanidae

More rarely encountered "primitive" families:

22. Kauri pine moths – 2 spp.

22. Southern beech moths or Valdivian archaic moths – 9 spp.

  • Heterobathmiidae

23. Archaic sun moths – 4 spp.

24. Australian archaic sun moths – 6 spp.

  • Lophocoronidae

25. Archaic bell moths – 12 spp.

26. New Zealand endemic moths – 7 spp.

27. Gondwanaland moths – 60 spp.

28. Trumpet leaf miner moths – 107 spp.

  • Tischeriidae

29. Simaethistid moths – 4 spp.

  • Simaethistidae

30. Galacticoid moths or webworm moths – 17 spp.

Larger "micros"

These groups have been formerly included in macros by hobbyists. 'Archaic and primitive macros' is not a recommended name for these as it may create confusion of their placement in some classification systems.

31. Swift moths and allies – 544 spp.

Unassigned to superfamily:

32. Meyrick's mystic moth – 1 sp.

  • Prodidactidae

Large monotrysian micros:

33. Andean endemic moths – 3 spp.

  • Andesianidae

Large ditrysian micros (formerly 'primitive macros'):

34. Burnet moths, slug moths, hag moths, glass moths and allies – 2,600 spp.

35. Clearwing moths, castniid moths, little bear moths and allies – 1,300 spp.

36, 37. Goat or carpenter moths and allies – 676 spp.

  • Cossoidea
    • Cossidae – goat moths, leopard moths or carpenterworm moths
    • Dudgeoneidae
      – Dudgeon carpenterworm moths

Sources

  • Robinson, G.S., Tuck, K.R., Shaffer, M. and Cook, K. (1994). The smaller moths of South-East Asia. Malaysian Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur.
  • Common Name Index
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Microlepidoptera&oldid=1180451884"