The Agonoxeninae are a subfamily of
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 w ...
s.
History of classification
Formerly, the subfamily only contained four named species – all in the
type genus
In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name.
Zoological nomenclature
According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal ...
''
Agonoxena'' – if (e.g. following Nielsen ''et al.'', 1996). Such a monotypic arrangement is fairly unusual in modern
taxonomy
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
without explicit need due to
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 ...
constraints.
Hodges (in Kristensen, 1999) retained the Blastodacnidae in the Agonoxenidae, giving a grouping of some 31 genera, and treating the whole as a subfamily Agonoxeninae of the
grass-miner moths (Elachistidae). Collectively, the Agonoxenidae and "Blastodacnidae" are known as palm moths.
Genera
* ''
Agonoxena''
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), English ...
, 1921
* ''
Asymphorodes'' (formerly in
Cosmopterigidae
The Cosmopterigidae are a family of insects (cosmet moths) in the order Lepidoptera. These are small moths with narrow wings whose tiny larvae feed internally on the leaves, seeds and stems of their host plants. About 1500 species are described. ...
)
* ''
Cladobrostis''
* ''
Diacholotis''
* ''
Gnamptonoma''
* ''
Helcanthica''
* ''
Ischnopsis''
* ''
Nanodacna''
* ''
Nicanthes''
* ''
Pammeces''
Zeller, 1863 (formerly in Cosmopterigidae)
* ''
Pauroptila''
* ''
Porotica
''Porotica'' is a genus of moths, belonging to the family Coleophoridae containing only one species, ''Porotica astragalis'', which is known from South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernm ...
''
* ''
Proterocosma'' (formerly in Cosmopterigidae)
Former genera
''
Blastodacna'', ''
Dystebenna'', ''
Haplochrois'', ''
Heinemannia'' and ''
Spuleria'' are sometimes placed here, sometimes in the
Elachistidae
The Elachistidae (grass-miner moths) are a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. Some authors lump about 3,300 species in eight subfamilies here, but this arrangement almost certainly results in a massively paraphyletic and comp ...
(or Blastodacnidae).
Other genera formerly placed here:
* ''
Chrysoclista''
* ''
Colonophora''
* ''
Glaucacna''
* ''
Palaeomystella''
* ''
Panclintis''
* ''
Prochola''
* ''
Tocasta''
Busck, 1912
* ''
Zaratha''
References
*Nielsen E.S., Edwards E.D. & Rangsi T.V. (eds.) (1996), Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia; Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera Volume 4; CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, 1996
*Kristensen, N.P. (ed.), 1999. Handbook of Zoology: Bd. 4. Arthropoda: Insecta. Teilbd. 35, Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies. Vol. 1. Evolution, systematics, and biogeography. W.de Gruyter, Berlin.
Moth subfamilies
Elachistidae
Taxa named by Edward Meyrick
{{Agonoxenidae-stub