Chrysauginae

Chrysauginae
Parachma lequettealis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pyralidae
Subfamily: Chrysauginae
Lederer, 1863
Type species
Chrysauge divida
Hübner, 1823
Diversity
135 genera
Synonyms
  • Bradypodicolinae Spuler, 1906
  • Semniidae Lederer, 1863

The Chrysauginae are a subfamily of snout moths (family Pyralidae). They are primarily Neotropical and include about 400 described species.

Description and ecology

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The subfamily includes the sloth moths (genera Cryptoses, Bradypodicola and Bradypophila). The caterpillar larvae of these species feed on the dung of sloths, and adults live in the sloths' fur. Other unusual Chrysauginae caterpillars have been found in Hymenoptera nests and on the spines of caterpillars of the brush-footed butterfly genus Automeris. But usually, their larvae feed on plants, boring into seed, fruits, stems and roots, or rolling and spinning leaves together to form a hideout.

While the adults are fairly nondescript, Chrysauginae larvae can usually be recognized unequivocally by the sclerotised ring around seta SD1 of the metathorax.

Systematics

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In 1995, Solis et al. compiled a checklist of Chrysauginae for the Western Hemisphere. However, phylogenetic analyses have not been conducted. Shaffer et al. tentatively placed four Australian genera in the subfamily in 1996; research on the adults failed to support this, and larvae are unknown.

References

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