Plutellidae
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The Plutellidae are a family 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 commonly known as the diamondback moths, named after the
diamondback moth The diamondback moth (''Plutella xylostella''), sometimes called the cabbage moth, is a moth species of the family Plutellidae and genus '' Plutella''. The small, grayish-brown moth sometimes has a cream-colored band that forms a diamond along ...
(''Plutella xylostella'') of European origin. It was once considered to have three subfamilies: Plutellinae, Praydinae, and Scythropiinae. Praydinae was later elevated to its own family,
Praydidae Praydidae is a family of false ermine moths in the superfamily Yponomeutoidea. Though once considered a subfamily (Praydinae), a 2013 molecular analysis elevated it to family rank. Genera *''Atemelia'' Herrich-Schäffer, 1853 *''Dictyoprays'' J. ...
, while Scythropiinae has variously been moved to
Yponomeutidae : ''Certain members of the unrelated snout moths (Pyralidae) are also known as "ermine moths." Spilosoma lubricipeda is an unrelated moth with the common name "white ermine."'' The family Yponomeutidae are known as the ermine moths, with several ...
or also elevated to its own family.


Characteristics

Moths in this family are small to medium in size with wingspans ranging from . The head usually bears smooth
scales Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number w ...
and the antennae are often thickened in the middle. The wings are elongated and the hindwings often bear long fringes. The forewings often appear to be sickle-shaped because of the arrangement of the fringes. The colouring is generally drab, with various banding and marking. The adults are mostly
nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
or
crepuscular In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal, vespertine, or both. This is distinguished from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, where an animal is active during the hours of daylig ...
. The larvae feed on the surfaces of leaves which they skeletonise. The host plants vary, but many are in the family
Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The le ...
. Some species are economic pests, especially ''Plutella xylostella.''


Genera

Below are the genera of the family Plutellidae: *'' Angoonopteryx'' Moriuti, 1983 *'' Anthonympha'' Moriuti, 1971 *'' Araeolepia'' Walsingham, 1881 *'' Arrhetopista'' Meyrick, 1936 *'' Automachaeris'' Meyrick, 1907 *'' Baerenschenkia'' Mey, 2011 *'' Bahrlutia'' Amsel, 1935 *''
Cadmogenes ''Cadmogenes'' is a genus of moths of the family Plutellidae. It contains only one species, ''Cadmogenes literata'', which is found in New Zealand. This species is endemic to New Zealand. It has been classified as "Not Threatened" by the Departm ...
'' Meyrick, 1923 *'' Calliathla'' Meyrick, 1931 *'' Charitoleuca'' Meyrick, 1938 *'' Charixena'' Meyrick, 1920 *''
Chrysorthenches ''Chrysorthenches'' is a genus of moths of the family Plutellidae The Plutellidae are a family of moths commonly known as the diamondback moths, named after the diamondback moth (''Plutella xylostella'') of European origin. It was once consid ...
'' Dugdale, 1996 *'' Circoxena'' Meyrick, 1916 *'' Conopotarsa'' Meyrick, 1913 *'' Deryaxenistis'' Mey, 2011 *'' Diastatica'' Meyrick, 1938 *'' Diathryptica'' Meyrick, 1907 *'' Dieda'' Diakonoff, 1955 *'' Dolichernis'' Meyrick, 1891 *'' Doxophyrtis'' Meyrick, 1914 *'' Eidophasia'' Stephens, 1842 *'' Embryonopsis'' Eaton, 1875 *'' Endozestis'' Meyrick, 1933 *'' Eudolichura'' Clarke, 1965 *'' Genostele'' Walsingham, 1900 *'' Gypsosaris'' Meyrick, 1909 *'' Helenodes'' Meyrick, 1913 *'' Hyperxena'' Meyrick, 1882 *'' Lepocnemis'' Meyrick, 1913 *'' Leuroperna'' Clarke, 1965 *'' Leuroptila'' Turner, 1923 *'' Lunakia'' Klimesch, 1941 *'' Melitonympha'' Meyrick, 1927 *'' Niphodidactis'' Meyrick, 1938 *'' Orthenches'' Meyrick, 1885 *'' Orthiostola'' Meyrick, 1927 *'' Paraxenistis'' Meyrick, 1919 *'' Phalangitis'' Meyrick, 1907 *'' Philaustera'' Meyrick, 1927 *'' Phylacodes'' Meyrick, 1905 *'' Pliniaca'' Busck, 1907 *'' Plutella'' Schrank, 1802 *'' Plutellites'' Kozlov, 1988 *'' Plutelloptera'' Baraniak, 2007 *'' Proditrix'' Dugdale, 1987 *'' Protosynaema'' Meyrick, 1885 *'' Psychromnestra'' Meyrick, 1924 *'' Rhigognostis'' Zeller, 1857 *'' Scaeophanes'' Meyrick, 1932 *'' Spyridarcha'' Meyrick, 1913 *'' Stachyotis'' Meyrick, 1905 *'' Subeidophasia'' Weber, 1938 *'' Tonza'' Walker, 1864 *'' Tritymba'' Lower, 1894 *'' Zarcinia'' Chretien, 1915


Excluded genera and species

The
fungus moth Tineidae is a family of moths in the order Lepidoptera described by Pierre André Latreille in 1810. Collectively, they are known as fungus moths or tineid moths. The family contains considerably more than 3,000 species in more than 300 genera. ...
'' Erechthias niphochrysa'' was also once included here, as a distinct genus ''Acrocenotes''. The family
Acrolepiidae The Acrolepiidae are a family of moths known as false diamondback moths. In modern classifications, they are often treated as a subfamily (Acrolepiinae) of the family Glyphipterigidae. Caterpillars are typically spotted and 10 to 12 mm in l ...
(including the genera ''
Acrolepia ''Acrolepia'' is a genus of moths in the family Acrolepiidae. Species The following species are classified: *'' Acrolepia afghanistanella'' *'' Acrolepia aiea'' *'' Acrolepia aleuritis'' *'' Acrolepia asiatica'' *'' Acrolepia aureella'' *'' Acr ...
'', ''
Acrolepiopsis ''Acrolepiopsis'' is a genus of moths in the family Acrolepiidae. Species The following species are classified: * ''Acrolepiopsis assectella The leek moth or onion leaf miner (''Acrolepiopsis assectella'') is a species of moth of family Acr ...
'', and '' Digitivalva'') is sometimes included in the Plutellidae.


References

* , 2011: New and little known species of Lepidoptera of southwestern Africa. ''Esperiana Buchreihe zur Entomologie'' Memoir 6: 146-261. * , 2012: ''Phrealcia steueri'' n. sp. und ''P. friesei'' n. sp. - zwei neue Arten einer disjunkt verbreiteten Gattung (Lepidoptera, Ypsolophidae). ''Entomologische Nachrichten und Berichte'' 56:53- 57. * . Butterflies and Moths of the World: Generic Names and their Type-species. Natural History Museu

* , 2012: Catalogue of the type specimens of Yponomeutoidea (Lepidoptera) in the collection of the United States National Museum of Natural History. ''Zootaxa'' 3573: 1-17. Abstract

{{Taxonbar, from=Q787074 Plutellidae, Taxa named by Achille Guenée