Editing Pyralidae

{{Short description|Family of moths}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Snout moths
| image = Pyralis farinalis01.jpg
| image_caption = Meal moth (''[[Pyralis farinalis]]'')
| taxon = Pyralidae
| authority = [[Pierre André Latreille|Latreille]], 1809<ref>{{cite web |last=Savela |first=Markku |date=December 27, 2018 |url=https://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/pyraloidea/pyralidae/ |title=Pyralidae Latreille, 1809 |website=Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms |access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref>
| type_species = ''[[Pyralis farinalis]]''
| type_species_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[Lepidoptera in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies
| subdivision = 
*[[Chrysauginae]]
*[[Epipaschiinae]]
*[[Galleriinae]]
*[[Phycitinae]]
*[[Pyralinae]]
| diversity = c. 6,150 species
}}
[[File:Sciota uvinella larva.jpg|thumb|''[[Sciota uvinella]]'', larva found on sweetgum]]

The '''Pyralidae''', commonly called '''pyralid moths''',<ref name=pyralidae>{{cite web |last=Bartlett |first=Troy |date=July 11, 2018 |url=https://bugguide.net/node/view/108 |title=Family Pyralidae - Pyralid Moths |website=BugGuide |access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref> '''snout moths''' or '''grass moths''',<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q |title=Pyralidae Snout Moths |website=Discover Life |access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref> are a [[family (biology)|family]] of [[Lepidoptera]] in the [[ditrysia]]n [[Taxonomic rank|superfamily]] [[Pyraloidea]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uniprot.org/taxonomy/7135 |title=Taxonomy - Pyralidae (snout moths) |website=UniProt |access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://insecta.pro/taxonomy/99 |title=Family Pyralidae |website=Insecta.pro |access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref> In many (particularly older) classifications, the [[grass moth]]s (Crambidae) are included in the Pyralidae as a [[subfamily]], making the combined group one of the largest families in the Lepidoptera. The latest review by [[Eugene G. Munroe]] and [[Maria Alma Solis]] retain the [[Crambidae]] as a full family of [[Pyraloidea]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Munroe |first1=Eugene |last2=Solis |first2=Maria Alma |year=1999 |chapter=The Pyraloidea |pages=233–256 |editor=N. P. Kristensen |title=Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies Volume 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography |series=Handbook of Zoology. A Natural History of the phyla of the Animal Kingdom. Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta Part 35 |publisher=[[Walter de Gruyter]]}}</ref>

The [[wingspan]]s for small and medium-sized species are usually between {{convert|9|and|37|mm|abbr=on}} with variable morphological features.<ref name=pyralidae /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lotts |first1=Kelly |last2=Naberhaus |first2=Thomas |name-list-style=amp |date=2017 |url=https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy/pyralidae |title=Family Pyralidae (Pyralid Moths) |website=Butterflies and Moths of North America |access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref>

It is a diverse group, with more than 6,000 species described worldwide, and more than 600 species in America north of Mexico, comprising the third largest moth family in North America. At least 42 species have been recorded from North Dakota in the subfamilies of Pyralidae.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ndsu.edu/ndmoths/ndmoths/family/family_pyralidae.htm |title=Family Pyralidae: Pyralid snout moths |website=Moths of North Dakota |access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref>

==Relationship with humans==
Most of these small moths are inconspicuous. Many are economically important pests, including [[waxworm]]s, which are the [[caterpillar]] [[larva]]e of the greater (''[[Galleria mellonella]]'') and lesser (''[[Achroia grisella]]'') wax moths ([[subfamily]] [[Galleriinae]]). They are natively [[pest (organism)|pest]]s of [[beehive]]s, but are bred indoors in enormous numbers as [[live food]] for small [[reptile]] and [[bird]] [[pet]]s and similar animals. They are also used as [[fishing bait]] for [[trout]] fishing.

Other notable snout moth pests relevant for their larval hosts include:<ref>{{cite web |last=Kimber |first=Ian |url=https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/systematic-list/#Phycitinae |title=Phycitinae |website=UKMoths |access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref>
* Alligatorweed stem borer (''[[Arcola malloi]]'': [[Phycitinae]]) &ndash; [[biological control]] of alligator weed (''[[Alternanthera philoxeroides]]'').
* Almond moth (''[[Cadra cautella]]'': Phycitinae) &ndash; pest of stored [[cereal]]s and dry fruit; now introduced almost worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/eafrinet/maize_pests/key/maize_pests/Media/Html/Cadra_cautella_Walker_1863_-_Tropical_Warehouse_Moth.htm |title=''Cadra cautella'' Walker, 1863 - Tropical Warehouse Moth |website=BioNET-EAFRINET |access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref>
* Cacao moth, tobacco moth, warehouse moth (''[[Ephestia elutella]]'': Phycitinae) &ndash; pest of stored dry vegetable products; Europe, introduced to some other regions (e.g. Australia).
* Dried fruit moth (''[[Cadra calidella]]'': [[Phycitinae]])
* ''[[Etiella behrii]]'' (Phycitinae) &ndash; pest of stored [[legume]]s; Southeast Asia and Australia
* "[[Flour moth (disambiguation)|Flour moth]]s" &ndash; pests of stored grains, spices, flour, and similar dry vegetable products; now introduced almost worldwide.
** Indian mealmoth (''[[Plodia interpunctella]]'': Phycitinae)
** Mediterranean flour moth, Indian flour moth (''[[Ephestia kuehniella]]'': Phycitinae)
* Grease moth (''[[Aglossa pinguinalis]]'': [[Pyralinae]]) &ndash; pest of [[suet]] and other oily food.
* Lesser cornstalk borer (''[[Elasmopalpus lignosellus]]'': Phycitinae) &ndash; stalk pest of [[Maize|corn]] (''Zea mays''); tropical and subtropical Americas, introduced to the Hawaiian Islands.
* Locust bean moth (''[[Ectomyelois ceratoniae]]'': Phycitinae)
* Mahogany webworm (''[[Macalla thyrsisalis]]'': [[Epipaschiinae]]) &ndash; defoliator pest of [[Swietenia|mahogany trees]] (''Swietenia''); [[Neotropics]].
* Meal moth (''[[Pyralis farinalis]]'': Pyralinae) &ndash; pest of stored grain, flour and other cereals; now introduced almost worldwide.
* Pear fruit borer (''[[Pempelia heringii]]'': Phycitinae) &ndash; pest of apple and pear fruits; East Asia, introduced to the Hawaiian Islands.
* Pine webworm (''[[Pococera robustella]]'': Epipaschiinae) &ndash; defoliator pest of [[pine]]s (''Pinus''); North America east of Great Lakes region.
* Raisin moth (''[[Cadra figulilella]]'': Phycitinae) &ndash; pests of stored dry fruit; now introduced almost worldwide.
* Rice moth (''[[Corcyra cephalonica]]'': Galleriinae) &ndash; pest of stored grain, flour and other cereals.
* South American cactus moth (''[[Cactoblastis cactorum]]'': Phycitinae) &ndash; biological control of [[Opuntia|prickly pears]] (''Opuntia'').
* Southern pine coneworm, "pitch moth" (''[[Dioryctria amatella]]'': Phycitinae) &ndash; cone and shoot pest of pines (''Pinus''); southern North America.
* Stored nut moth (''[[Paralipsa gularis]]'': Galleriinae) &ndash; pest of stored nuts and [[drupe]]s; Southeast Asia, introduced to Western Europe.
* Sunflower moth (''[[Homoeosoma nebulella]]'': Phycitinae) &ndash; pest of [[sunflower seed]]s; Europe and surrounding regions.

The European corn borer (''[[Ostrinia nubilalis]]'') and southern cornstalk borer (''[[Diatraea crambidoides]]''), formerly considered snout moths, are placed in the [[Crambidae]] which, as noted above, are usually regarded as a separate family today.

==Systematics==
[[File:Butterfly tongue.jpg|thumb|right|[[Scanning electron microscope|SEM]] microphoto of the head of a snout moth &ndash; note the "snout" (labial palps) extending to the upper left above the [[Proboscis#Lepidoptera mouth parts|proboscis]]]]
{{See also|List of Pyralidae genera}}
Five subfamilies are generally recognized in the Pyralidae today. The [[Acentropinae]] (= Nymphulinae), occasionally still placed here, do indeed seem to belong in the Crambidae.

The snout moth subfamilies are, listed in the presumed [[phylogenetic]] sequence from the most primitive to the most advanced:

* '''[[Chrysauginae]]''' (including Bradypodicolinae, Semniidae) &ndash; about 400 species occurring predominantly in the [[Neotropical realm|Neotropical]] region. Larvae typically feed on plants, but some have more unusual feeding habits. The latter include for example some [[myrmecophilous]] species, as well as a number of [[sloth moth]]s which are dependent on [[sloth]]s for their entire life cycle. Most Chrysauginae larvae have a sclerotised ring around seta SD1 of the [[metathorax]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bugguide.net/node/view/13328/bgref |title=Subfamily Chrysauginae |website=BugGuide |access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eol.org/pages/893/details |title=Grass Moths |website=Encyclopedia of Life |access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref>
* '''[[Galleriinae]]''' (including Macrothecinae) &ndash; about 300 species worldwide. The males of galleriine moths have a gnathos almost or completely reduced, the pupae have a prominent dorsal median ridge on the thorax and abdomen, and most larvae have a sclerotised ring around seta SD1 of the first abdominal segment.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fauna-eu.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/f270ad4d-e6f0-4d92-958d-28d1cf38d0cf |title=Galleriinae |website=Fauna Europaea |access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref>
* '''[[Pyralinae]]''' (including Endotrichinae, Hypotiinae) &ndash; rather diverse in the [[Old World]]; a lesser number of the roughly 900 species occurs elsewhere. The females of almost all Pyralinae except ''[[Cardamyla]]'' and ''[[Embryoglossa]]'' are recognizable by the very short [[ductus bursae]] of their [[genital]]s.<ref name="Nota Lepidopterologica">{{cite web |last=Savela |first=Markku |date=January 5, 2019 |url=http://ftp.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/pyraloidea/pyralidae/pyralinae/ |title=Pyralinae Latreille |website=Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms |access-date=February 6, 2020}}</ref>
* '''[[Epipaschiinae]]''' (including Pococerinae) &ndash; over 550 described species in the tropical and temperate regions (except Europe). Larvae are leaf rollers, leaf tiers, or leaf miners. Some species are minor pests of a few commercial crops. Epipaschiinae are generally hard to recognize, except in the case of adult males which have a few characteristic traits, such as the upturned and pointed third segment of the labial palps and usually a scaly projection from the antenna base. The larvae lack any stereotyped seta sclerotisations.
* '''[[Phycitinae]]''' (including Anerastiinae, Peoriinae) &ndash; probably the most difficult group of Pyraloidea in terms of identification and classification. They comprise more than 600 genera and about 4000 species found all over the world. The characteristic trait of the caterpillars is a [[Sclerotin|sclerotised]] area encircling the base of seta SD1 on the [[mesothorax]], while the adult females have &ndash; like the males of Pyralidae in general do &ndash; a frenulum consisting of a single bristle which in turn is composed of multiple [[Acanthaeschna victoria|acanthae]].
[[File:Pyralidae of the Subfamily Pyraustinae (plate 2).jpg|thumb|502x502px|Specimens described by [[George Hampson]] in 1899, including some problematic genera.]]

===Problematic genera===
In addition to those assigned to the tribes above, several genera of (presumed) Pyralidae are not firmly placed in this arrangement, but are ''[[incertae sedis]]''. Some may be very [[basal (evolution)|basal]] lineages which stand outside the main snout moth radiations, but given the changing circumscription of the Pyralidae, some are likely to be placed outside this group in its modern meaning, either in the Crambidae or in other lineages of basal [[Obtectomera]]. Some may even belong to more ancient moth lineages, such as the [[Alucitoidea]] or [[Pterophoroidea]]. Finally, some of these (usually little-studied) genera possibly are [[junior synonym]]s of genera described earlier. These genera are in the unranked category of the family Pyralidae.<ref name=pyralidaes>{{cite journal |last1=Pitkin |first1=Brian |last2=Jenkins |first2=Paul |name-list-style=amp |url=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/butmoth/search/GenusList3.dsml?&FAMILY=Pyralidae&sort=GENUS |title=Search results Family: Pyralidae |website=Butterflies and Moths of the World |date=2023 |publisher=[[Natural History Museum, London]]|doi=10.5519/s93616qw }}</ref>

The genera in question are:
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* ''[[Apocabimoides]]'' <small>Neunzig & Goodson, 1992</small>
* ''[[Ardjuna]]'' <small>Roesler & Küppers, 1979</small>
* ''[[Cabimoides]]'' <small>Neunzig & Goodson, 1992</small>
* ''[[Cryptophycita]]'' <small>Roesler & Küppers, 1979</small>
* ''[[Cryptozophera]]'' <small>Roesler & Küppers, 1979</small>
* ''[[Delcina]]'' <small>Clarke, 1986</small> (Phycitinae?)
* ''[[Eupassadena]]'' <small>Neunzig & Goodson, 1992</small>
* ''[[Gomezmenoria]]'' <small>Agenjo, 1966</small>
* ''[[Gunungodes]]'' <small>Roesler & Küppers, 1981</small>
* ''[[Indocabnia]]'' <small>Roesler & Küppers, 1981</small>
* ''[[Inverina]]'' <small>Neunzig & Goodson, 1992</small>
* ''[[Kasyapa (moth)|Kasyapa]]'' <small>Roesler & Küppers, 1981</small>
* ''[[Kaurava (moth)|Kaurava]]'' <small>Roesler & Küppers, 1981</small>
* ''[[Kumbhakarna (moth)|Kumbhakarna]]'' <small>Roesler & Küppers, 1981</small>
* ''[[Merangiria]]'' <small>Roesler & Küppers, 1979</small>
* ''[[Ohigginsia]]'' <small>Neunzig & Goodson, 1992</small>
* ''[[Pseudopassadena]]'' <small>Neunzig & Goodson, 1992</small>
* ''[[Psorozophera]]'' <small>Roesler & Küppers, 1979</small>
{{div col end}}

These genera have been placed in the Pyralidae when these were still circumscribed ''[[sensu lato]]'' and are sometimes still treated thus, but actually they seem to belong in the Crambidae (see also ''[[Micronix]]'' and ''[[Tanaobela]]''):<ref name=pyralidaes />
* ''[[Alphacrambus]]'' <small>Bassi, 1995</small>
* ''[[Peniculimius]]'' <small>Schoute, 1994</small>
* ''[[Steneromene]]'' <small>Gaskin, 1986</small>
* ''[[Thopeutis]]'' <small>Hübner, 1818</small>
* ''[[Yoshiyasua]]'' (formerly ''[[Yoshiyasua|Melanochroa]]'' <small>Yohiyasu, 1985 ''nec'' Roeder, 1886: [[Melanochroa (disambiguation)|preoccupied]]</small>)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikispecies}}
* Solis, M. Alma (2007). [http://www.scielo.unal.edu.co/scielo.php?pid=S0120-04882007000100001&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en "Phylogenetic studies and modern classification of the Pyraloidea (Lepidoptera)"]. ''Revista Colombiana de Entomología''. '''33''' (1): 1–8.
* {{cite journal |last1=Clarke |first1=J. F. Gates |title=Pyralidae and Microlepidoptera of the Marquesas Archipelago |journal=Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology |date=1986 |volume=416 |issue=416 |pages=1–485 |doi=10.5479/si.00810282.416|doi-access=free}}

{{Lepidoptera}}
{{Taxonbar |from=Q248425}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pyralidae]]
[[Category:Moth families]]