The Pyraloidea (pyraloid moths or snout moths) are a

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 ...

superfamily containing about 16,000 described

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

worldwide, and probably at least as many more remain to be described. They are generally fairly small moths, and as such, they have been traditionally associated with the

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

Microlepidoptera 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, and are thus harder ...

. This superfamily used to contain the Hyblaeidae,

Thyrididae The Thyrididae comprise the family of picture-winged leaf moths. They are the only family in the superfamily Thyridoidea, which sometimes has been included in the Pyraloidea, but this isn't supported by cladistic analysis. Most species live in ...

, Alucitidae (plus Tineodidae), Pterophoridae, and

Pyralidae The Pyralidae, commonly called pyralid moths, snout moths or grass moths, are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many (particularly older) classifications, the grass moths (Crambidae) are included in the Pyra ...

. The first four families are now each split off as a distinct superfamily. Nowadays, Pyralidae are usually split into the Pyralidae

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

and the

Crambidae The Crambidae are the grass moth family of lepidopterans. 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 includ ...

, as both groups have been shown to be

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic ...

and a

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

. Some genera (e.g. '' Micronix'' and '' Tanaobela'') still defy easy classification and have been variously assigned to the Crambidae or the Pyralidae. Among all Lepidoptera, pyraloids show the most diverse life history adaptations. The larvae of most species feed on living plants either internally or externally as leaf rollers, leaf webbers leaf miners, borers, root feeders, and seed feeders. Some species live parasitically in ant nests ( Wurthiini), prey on

scale insect Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than th ...

s (certain

Phycitinae The Phycitinae are a subfamily of snout moths (family Pyralidae). Even though the Pyralidae subfamilies are all quite diverse, Phycitinae stand out even by standards of their family: with over 600 genera considered valid and more than 4000 spec ...

), or live in the nests of

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyly, monophyletic lineage within the ...

s ( Galleriinae). The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

e of the

Acentropinae Acentropinae is a fairly small subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae, the crambid snout moths. Species of this subfamily are exclusively found in wetlands and aquatic habitats. Systematics In modern treatments, the former sub ...

are adapted to life under water, and certain

and

Pyralinae The Pyralinae are the typical subfamily of snout moths ( family Pyralidae) and occur essentially worldwide, in some cases aided by involuntary introduction by humans. They are rather rare in the Americas however, and their diversity in the Austr ...

are adapted to very dry environments and their larvae feed on stored food products. Others feed on animal

detritus In biology, detritus () is dead particulate organic material, as distinguished from dissolved organic material. Detritus typically includes the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organisms, and fecal material. Detritus typically hosts commu ...

such as

carrion Carrion () is the decaying flesh of dead animals, including human flesh. Overview Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures ...

and

feces Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a rela ...

. With such a variety of living habits, pyraloids are used in biodiversity studies. Some species are of economic importance, e.g.: * rice stem borers ('' Chilo'' spp.; '' Scirpophaga'' spp.) * sod grass webworms (different species of

Crambinae Crambinae is a large subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae, the crambid snout moths. It currently includes over 1,800 species worldwide. The larvae are root feeders or stem borers, mostly on grasses. A few species are pests of sod gras ...

) * Indian meal moth (''

Plodia interpunctella The Indianmeal moth (''Plodia interpunctella''), also spelled Indian meal moth and Indian-meal moth, is a pyraloid moth of the family Pyralidae. Alternative common names are weevil moth, pantry moth, flour moth or grain moth. The almond m ...

'') * European corn borer ('' Ostrinia nubilalis'') * Indo-Australian coconut spike moth (''

Tirathaba rufivena ''Tirathaba rufivena'', the coconut spike moth, greater coconut spike moth or oil palm bunch moth, is a moth of the family Pyralidae. It is found from south-east Asia to the Pacific islands, including Malaysia, the Cook Islands, the Philippine ...

'') * Cacao moth ('' Ephestia elutella'') * Mediterranean flour moth (''

Ephestia kuehniella The Mediterranean flour moth or mill moth (''Ephestia kuehniella'') is a moth of the family Pyralidae. It is a common pest of cereal grains, especially flour. This moth is found throughout the world, especially in countries with temperate climate ...

'') * wax moths ('' Achroia grisella'', '' Galleria mellonella'') * rice moth (''

Corcyra cephalonica The rice moth (''Corcyra cephalonica'') is a moth of the family Pyralidae. This small moth can become a significant pest. Its caterpillars feed on dry plantstuffs such as seeds, including cereals (e.g. rice). Other recordedGrabe (1942) foods ar ...

'') * beet webworm (''

Spoladea recurvalis ''Spoladea recurvalis'', the beet webworm moth or Hawaiian beet webworm moth, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It is found worldwide, but mainly in the tropics. The wingspan is 22–24 mm. The moth flies from May to September ...

'') * European pepper moth ('' Duponchelia fovealis'') * legume pod borer ('' Maruca vitrata'') * eggplant fruit borers (''

Leucinodes ''Leucinodes'' is a genus of moths of the family Crambidae. It was first described by Achille Guenée in 1854. ''Leucinodes'' species have been documented as eggplant fruit borers. They are occasionally imported by accident from African and As ...

'' spp.).

References

External links

Global Information System on Pyraloidea (GlobIZ)
*
Images of Pyraloid Moths in New Zealand
{{taxonbar, from=Q248419 Lepidoptera superfamilies Obtectomera