Lathrotelinae Explained

Lathrotelinae is a subfamily of the pyraloid family Crambidae described by John Frederick Gates Clarke in 1971. It currently comprises 45 species in six genera.

Description

Characteristic features of the Lathrotelinae are the undulating wing outline, the absent chaetosemata on the imaginal head, the completely reduced gnathos, and the male genitalia's aedeagus with a strongly spiculose "manica" on its posterior end. Lathrotelinae were suggested to be closely related to Acentropinae based on two synapomorphies in the second sternum of the abdomen, but a phylogenetic study of Crambidae based on genetic data found the subfamily to be the sister group of the fern-feeding Musotiminae.^[1]

Food plants

Little is known on the larval stage of Lathrotelinae. The few known larvae feed on monocotyledon plants^[2] and are occasionally found as pest species on oil palms and sugarcane.^{[3] [4]}

Systematics

Until recently, Lathrotelinae have been treated within the subfamily Spilomelinae. However, recent studies^{[5] [6]} concluded that Lathroteles obscura J.F.G Clarke, 1971 and several other species are misplaced in Spilomelinae and require a separate subfamily. According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature's Principle of Priority, the family group name Lathrotelidae J.F.G. Clarke, 1971 applies to this subfamily.

The subfamily currently includes the following genera:

• Acropentias Meyrick, 1890^[7]
• Diplopseustis Meyrick, 1884
• Diplopseustoides Guillermet, 2013
• Lathroteles J.F.G. Clarke, 1971
• Orthoraphis Hampson, 1896
• Sufetula Walker, 1859

References

1. Léger . Théo . Mally . Richard . Neinhuis . Christoph . Nuss . Matthias . 2020 . Refining the phylogeny of Crambidae with complete sampling of subfamilies (Lepidoptera, Pyraloidea) . Zoologica Scripta . 50 . 1 . 84–99 . 10.1111/zsc.12452. free .
2. Patrick . Brian . 1994 . Antipodes Island Lepidoptera . Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand . 24 . 1 . 91–116. 10.1080/03014223.1994.9517457 . free .
3. Seín, Jr. . Francisco . 1930 . The sugar cane root caterpillar and other new root pests in Puerto Rico . Journal of the Department of Agriculture of Porto Rico . 14 . 3 . 167–191.
4. Genty . P. . Mariau . D. . 1975 . Morphologie et biologie du Pyralidae des racines de lElaeis, Sufetula diminutalis . Oléagineux . 30 . 4 . 147–152.
5. Hayden. James E.. 2013 . Sufetula Walker in Florida (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) . Insecta Mundi . 296 . 1–15.
6. Minet . Joel . 2015 . Lathrotelidae Clarke, 1971: a rehabilitated name deserving subfamily rank (Lepidoptera, Crambidae) . Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France . 120 . 1 . 109–112. 10.3406/bsef.2015.2216 . 218389784 .
7. Matsui . Yuki . Mally . Richard . Kohama . Sari . Aoki . Itsuzai . Azuma . Masaaki . Naka . Hideshi . 2022 . Molecular phylogenetics and tribal classification of Japanese Pyraustinae and Spilomelinae (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) . Insect Systematics & Evolution . 54 . 77–106 . 10.1163/1876312X-bja10037 . 251511500 .