The Crambidae are the grass moth family of

lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...

ns. 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 include brightly coloured and patterned insects which rest in wing-spread attitudes. In many classifications, the Crambidae have been treated as a

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classifica ...

of the Pyralidae or snout-moths. The principal difference is a structure in 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 ...

s called the praecinctorium, which joins two tympanic membranes in the Crambidae, and is absent from the Pyralidae. The latest review by Munroe and Solis, in Kristensen (1999), retains the Crambidae as a full family. The family currently comprises 15 subfamilies with altogether 10,347 species in over 1,000 genera.

Systematics

*subfamilia incertae sedis **''Conotalis'' Hampson, 1919 **''Exsilirarcha'' Salmon & Bradley, 1956 *Subfamily Acentropinae Stephens, 1836 *Subfamily Crambinae Latreille, 1810 *Subfamily Erupinae Munroe, 1995 *Subfamily Glaphyriinae Forbes, 1923 (= Evergestinae Marion, 1952, Noordinae Minet, 1980,Regier, J. C., C. Mitter, M. A. Solis, J. E. Hayden, B. Landry, M. Nuss, T. J. Simonsen, S.-H. Yen , A. Zwick & M. P. Cummings 2012
A molecular phylogeny for the pyraloid moths (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea) and its implications for higher-level classification.
– Systematic Entomology, London 37 (4): 635–656. Cybalomiinae Marion, 1955, Cathariinae Minet, 1982) *Subfamily Heliothelinae Amsel, 1961 *Subfamily Hoploscopinae Robinson et al., 1994 *Subfamily Lathrotelinae Clarke, 1971 *Subfamily Linostinae Amsel, 1956 *Subfamily Midilinae Munroe, 1958 *Subfamily Musotiminae Meyrick, 1884 *Subfamily Odontiinae Guenée, 1854 *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 ...

Meyrick, 1890 *Subfamily Schoenobiinae Duponchel, 1846 *Subfamily

Scopariinae Scopariinae is a subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae. The subfamily was described by Achille Guenée in 1854. Genera *'' Afrarpia'' Maes, 2004 *'' Afroscoparia'' Nuss, 2003 *''Anarpia'' Chapman, 1912 *'' Antiscopa'' Munroe, 1964 *'' ...

Guenée, 1854 *Subfamily Spilomelinae Guenée, 1854 (= Wurthiinae Roepke, 1916)

Relationship with humans

Since crambids are relatively common throughout human settlements, the moths tend to affect crops and gardens, whether harmfully, beneficially or harmlessly. Beneficial crambids include the water hyacinth moth ('' Niphograpta albiguttalis''), used to control its host ('' Eichhornia crassipes''), the water veneer ('' Acentria ephemerella''), a biocontrol agent used against

Eurasian watermilfoil ''Myriophyllum spicatum'' (Eurasian watermilfoil or spiked water-milfoil) is native to Europe, Asia, and north Africa, but has a wide geographic and climatic distribution among some 57 countries, extending from northern Canada to South Africa. ...

, and the bamboo borer ('' Omphisa fuscidentalis''), of which the caterpillars are used for human consumption. The mint moth ('' Pyrausta aurata'') is an example of a harmless crambid. Crambid larvae are typically stem borers in plants of the

grass family Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

. As this family contains many important crops, some Crambidae species achieve pest status. The

European corn borer The European corn borer (''Ostrinia nubilalis''), also known as the European corn worm or European high-flyer, is a moth of the family Crambidae which includes other grass moths. It is a pest of grain, particularly maize (''Zea mays''). The ...

''Ostrinia nubilalis'' is perhaps the best known; introduced to the United States in the early 1900s, it is now widespread in all but the westernmost states. Other pest species include the pearl millet stem borer (''

Coniesta ignefusalis ''Coniesta ignefusalis'', the pearl millet stem-borer, is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by George Hampson in 1919. Distribution ''Coniesta ignefusalis'' is found throughout the West African Sahel, including in Senegal, Mali, B ...

''), the spotted stalk borer (''

Chilo partellus ''Chilo partellus'', the spotted stalk borer or spotted stem borer, is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Charles Swinhoe in 1885. It is found in India, Pakistan, Iran, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, South Africa, Sudan, ...

''), the Asiatic rice borer ('' Chilo suppressalis''), sod webworms ('' Crambus'' spp.), '' Duponchelia fovealis'', the sugarcane borer ('' Diatraea saccharalis''), bean pod borers ('' Maruca'' spp.), the rice white stemborer ('' Scirpophaga innotata''), the southwestern corn borer ('' Diatraea grandiosella''), and the grape leaffolder ('' Desmia maculalis'').

Gallery

Image:Maruca vitrata.jpg, '' Maruca vitrata'' File:Moth from Spilomelinae under Crambidae W IMG_2758.jpg, Spilomelinae species File:Agriphila straminella on Achillea.ogv, '' Agriphila straminella'' on Achillea File:Aethaloessa calidalis by Kadavoor.jpg, '' Aethaloessa calidalis'' File:Bocchoris inspersalis on Desmodium triflorum at Kadavoor.jpg, ''

Bocchoris inspersalis ''Bocchoris inspersalis'', the dotted sable, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It can be found in subtropical Africa South of the Sahara, many islands of the Indian Ocean, South and East Asia, from India to Japan. File:Bocchoris inspersalis ...

'' on ''

Desmodium triflorum ''Grona triflora'', known as creeping tick trefoil or three-flower beggarweed, is a plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to tropical regions around the globe and introduced to subtropical regions including the southern United States. File ...

'' File:Orange Mint Moth 9297.8.24.07.w.wiki.jpg, '' Pyrausta orphisalis'' File:Celery Leaftier.jpg, ''

Udea rubigalis ''Udea rubigalis'', the celery leaftier or greenhouse leaftier, is a member of the family Crambidae. It is found across the Americas. The species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1854. The larvae are List_of_feeding_behaviours#By_food_ty ...

'' File:Herpetogramma adult.jpg, ''Herpetogramma'' sp.

References

External links

"Family Crambidae"
''Insecta.pro''

on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
''Diatraea saccharalis'', sugarcane borer
Cirrus Digital * {{Taxonbar , from=Q132980 Moth families Articles containing video clips Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille

Systematics

Relationship with humans

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links