Rank Tribe | Scientific name Pyralini Order Butterflies and moths | |
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Similar Pyralinae, Pyralidae, Butterflies and moths, Aglossa pinguinalis, Hypsopygia | ||
The Pyralini are a tribe of snout moths. They belong to the subfamily Pyralinae, which contains the "typical" snout moths of the Old World and some other regions. The genus list presented here is provisional.
Contents
They are deemed to represent the lineage around the type species, the Meal Moth (Pyralis farinalis), a somewhat notorious pest of stored cereals and similar goods. Like this species, Pyralini are usually largish snout moths; some are boldly colored (often in bright brown to yellow hues) by standards of their family.
Systematics and taxonomy
While the Pyralini are a successful radiation even as presently circumscribed, this delimitation is highly provisional. It is very likely that more genera belong here (unknown Pyralinae are still being discovered on a regular basis), and perhaps the grop will turn out to be so large or phylogenetically inconsistent that it will be split apart. Pending a detailed analysis, the following genera are placed here (some notable species are also listed):
Numerous Pyralinae genera have not yet been assigned to a tribe, and in general the subfamily is in need of thorough revision. Some genera have explicitly been allied with Pyralini genera in the past and might more likely than others be members of the present subfamily:
Tanaobela is a more complicated case; it has by some authors been assigned to the grass moths (Crambidae, formerly included in the Pyralidae). Others have placed it in the Pyralini, which may well be correct.
Synonyms
The Pyralini have some objective junior synonyms due to misidentifications of specimens by early entomologists. In addition, presumed lineages around Aglossa, Mapeta (= Homalochroa) and Synaphe (= Cledeobia) were once considered taxonomically distinct, often even as subfamilies, but are today included in the present tribe. While they are not likely to be subfamilies, their actual taxonomic status will be determined by future analyses. The presently-obsolete synonyms of Pyralini are: