Xyloryctidae

Family of moths

Timber moths
Adult Xylorycta assimilis of the Xyloryctidae in Aranda, Australia
Note prominent curved labial palpi and long antennae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Gelechioidea
Family: Xyloryctidae
Meyrick, 1890
Genera

See text

Synonyms
  • Cryptophasidae Kirby, 1897
  • Uzuchidae Hampson, 1918
  • Xyloryctinae

Xyloryctidae is a family of moths contained within the superfamily Gelechioidea described by Edward Meyrick in 1890.[1] Most genera are found in the Indo-Australian region. While many of these moths are tiny, some members of the family grow to a wingspan of up to 66 mm, making them giants among the micromoths.

The first recorded instance of a common name for these moths comes from Swainson's On the History and Natural Arrangement of Insects, 1840,[2] where members of the genus Cryptophasa are described as hermit moths. This is an allusion to the caterpillar's habit of living alone in a purely residential burrow in a tree branch, to which it drags leaves at night, attaching them with silk to the entrance to the burrow and consuming the leaves as they dry out.

The name 'timber moths' was coined by the Queensland naturalist Rowland Illidge in 1892, later published in 1895,[3] and serves to distinguish these moths from other wood-boring Australian moths such as ghost moths (Hepialidae) and giant wood moths (Cossidae), which feed on sap or wood. It refers to the fact that the larvae of most members of this family are arboreal, whether they burrow into branches, bore into flower heads, tunnel under bark, or feed on lichens. Moths of the genus Maroga are pests of wattles (Acacia) and have crossed over from their wild host plant to become serious pests of cultivated stone fruit trees, particularly cherries.

Formerly, Xyloryctidae were placed in the Oecophoridae as the subfamily Xyloryctinae. Recent research suggests the Xyloryctidae are an independent family, sharing common ancestry with the Oecophoridae, but not descended from them.

Taxonomy and systematics

The family includes the following genera:

References

  1. ^ "Xyloryctidae". Insecta.pro. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  2. ^ Swainson, W., and Shuckard, W.E., 1840, On the History and Natural Arrangement of Insects. Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopedia. Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans, London, pp. 106–107
  3. ^ Illidge, R., 1895: Xylorycts, or timber moths. Queensland Nat. Hist. Soc. Trans., 1, 29–34.
  • Holloway, 2001, The families of Malesian moths and butterflies, Fauna Malesiana handbooks, (205).
  • Kaila, 2004, Phylogeny of the superfamily Gelechioidea (Lepidoptera: Ditrysia): an exemplar approach, Cladistics 20 303–340.
  • Hoare, 2005, Hierodoris (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Oecophoridae), and overview of Oecophoridae, Fauna of New Zealand, Ko te Aitanga Pepeke o Aotearoa, 54 pp. 13–25.
  • Richard brown, Sibyl Bucheli, and SangMi Lee, 2006, Gelechioidea, A Global Framework
  • Zborowski and Edwards, 2007, A Guide to Australian moths, CSIRO, 1–214.

External links

Wikispecies has information related to Xyloryctidae.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Xyloryctidae.
  • Mississippi Entomological Museum: List of Xyloryctidae Genera
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Extant Lepidoptera families
Suborder Zeugloptera
Micropterigoidea
Micropterigidae (mandibulate archaic moths)
Suborder Aglossata
Agathiphagoidea
Agathiphagidae (kauri moths)
Heterobathmioidea
Suborder Glossata
Dacnonypha
Eriocranioidea
Acanthoctesia
Acanthopteroctetoidea
  • Acanthopteroctetidae (archaic sun moths)
Lophocoronina
Lophocoronoidea
Neopseustina
Neopseustoidea
Exoporia
Hepialoidea
  • Anomosetidae
  • Hepialidae (swift moths, ghost moths)
  • Neotheoridae (Amazonian primitive ghost moths)
  • Palaeosetidae (miniature ghost moths)
  • Prototheoridae (African primitive ghost moths)
Mnesarchaeoidea
  • Mnesarchaeidae (New Zealand primitive moths)
H
e
t
e
r
o
n
e
u
r
a
M
o
n
o
t
r
y
s
i
a
Adeloidea
Adelidae (fairy longhorn moths)
Cecidosidae
Heliozelidae
Incurvariidae
Prodoxidae (yucca moths)
Andesianoidea
  • Andesianidae (Andean endemic moths)
Nepticuloidea
Nepticulidae (pigmy, or midget moths)
Opostegidae (white eyecap moths)
Palaephatoidea
Palaephatidae (Gondwanaland moths)
Tischerioidea
Tischeriidae (trumpet leaf miner moths)
D
i
t
r
y
s
i
a
Simaethistoidea
Tineoidea
Acrolophidae (burrowing webworm moths)
Arrhenophanidae
Eriocottidae (Old World spiny-winged moths)
Psychidae (bagworm moths)
Tineidae (fungus moths)
Gracillarioidea
Bucculatricidae (ribbed cocoon makers)
Douglasiidae (Douglas moths)
Gracillariidae
Roeslerstammiidae
Yponomeutoidea
Acrolepiidae (false diamondback moths)
Bedelliidae
Glyphipterigidae (sedge moths)
Heliodinidae
Lyonetiidae
Plutellidae
Yponomeutidae (ermine moths)
Ypsolophidae
Gelechioidea
Autostichidae
Batrachedridae
Blastobasidae
Coleophoridae (case-bearers, case moths)
Cosmopterigidae (cosmet moths)
Elachistidae (grass-miner moths)
Gelechiidae (twirler moths)
Lecithoceridae (long-horned moths)
Lypusidae
Metachandidae
Momphidae (mompha moths)
Oecophoridae (concealer moths)
Pterolonchidae
Scythrididae (flower moths)
Xyloryctidae (timber moths)
Galacticoidea
Zygaenoidea
Heterogynidae
Zygaenidae (burnet, forester, or smoky moths)
Himantopteridae
Lacturidae
Somabrachyidae
Megalopygidae (flannel moths)
Aididae
Anomoeotidae
Cyclotornidae
Epipyropidae (planthopper parasite moths)
Dalceridae (slug caterpillars)
Limacodidae (slug, or cup moths)
Cossoidea
Cossidae (carpenter millers, or goat moths)
Dudgeoneidae (dudgeon carpenter moths)
Sesioidea
Brachodidae (little bear moths)
Castniidae (castniid moths: giant butterfly-moths, sun moths)
Sesiidae (clearwing moths)
Choreutoidea
Choreutidae (metalmark moths)
Tortricoidea
Tortricidae (tortrix moths)
Urodoidea
Urodidae (false burnet moths)
Schreckensteinioidea
Schreckensteiniidae (bristle-legged moths)
Epermenioidea
Epermeniidae (fringe-tufted moths)
Alucitoidea
Alucitidae (many-plumed moths)
Tineodidae (false plume moths)
Pterophoroidea
Pterophoridae (plume moths)
Whalleyanoidea
Immoidea
Copromorphoidea
Copromorphidae (tropical fruitworm moths)
Carposinidae (fruitworm moths)
Thyridoidea
Thyrididae (picture-winged leaf moths)
Calliduloidea
Callidulidae (Old World butterfly-moths)
Papilionoidea
(butterflies)
Papilionidae (swallowtail butterflies)
Hedylidae (American moth-butterflies)
Hesperiidae (skippers)
Pieridae (whites, yellows, orangetips, sulphurs)
Riodinidae (metalmarks)
Lycaenidae (gossamer-winged butterflies: blues, coppers and relatives)
Nymphalidae (brush-footed, or four-footed butterflies)
Hyblaeoidea
Hyblaeidae (teak moths)
Pyraloidea
Pyralidae (snout moths)
Crambidae (grass moth)
Mimallonoidea
Mimallonidae (sack bearer moths)
Lasiocampoidea
Lasiocampidae (eggars, snout moths, or lappet moths)
Bombycoidea
Anthelidae (Australian lappet moth)
Apatelodidae (American silkworm moths)
Bombycidae (silk moths)
Brahmaeidae (Brahmin moths)
Carthaeidae (Dryandra moth)
Endromidae (Kentish glory and relatives)
Eupterotidae
Phiditiidae
Saturniidae (saturniids)
Sphingidae (hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms)
Noctuoidea
Erebidae (underwing, tiger, tussock, litter, snout, owlet moths)
Euteliidae
Noctuidae (daggers, sallows, owlet moths, quakers, cutworms, darts)
Nolidae (tuft moths)
Notodontidae (prominents, kittens)
Oenosandridae
Drepanoidea
Drepanidae (hook-tips)
Cimeliidae (gold moths)
Doidae
Geometroidea
Sematuridae
Pseudobistonidae
Epicopeiidae (oriental swallowtail moths)
Uraniidae
Geometridae (geometer moths)
Superfamily unassigned
Note: division Monotrysia is not a clade.
Taxon identifiers
Xyloryctidae