The Galleriinae are a subfamily of snout moths (family Pyralidae) and occur essentially worldwide, in some cases aided by involuntary introduction by humans. This subfamily includes the wax moths, whose caterpillars (waxworms) are bred on a commercial scale as food for pets and as fishing bait; in the wild, these and other species of Galleriinae may also be harmful to humans as pests.

At the species level, they are the least diverse snout moth subfamily according to current knowledge, with 306 described species all together. However, as regards major lineages, the Galleriinae are quite diverse, with five tribes being recognized – more than in the Phycitinae, the most species-rich snout moth subfamily. One of these tribes, the Joelminetiini, has been described only in 2007, and presently contains a single and highly aberrant genus.

Description and ecology

Head of adult female rice moth (Corcyra cephalonica) showing its "snout" scale bar: 0.5 mm

The caterpillar larvae of Galleriinae usually have a sclerotised (hardened) ring around the base of seta SD1 on the first abdominal segment. Their pupae are comparatively easy to distinguish from other snout moths' by a readily apparent midline ridge running along the thorax and abdomen. In the imagines, the gnathos of the male genitalia is reduced to the point of disappearing altogether or (more rarely) with only the barest vestige remaining; this is quite characteristic except for a few Chrysauginae which have convergently lost the gnathos. Males produce very high chirping sounds with their tegulae, in some cases even regular "mating songs", though without specialized bioacoustics equipment this cannot be used for identification. Unusual for Pyralidae, adult Galleriinae may lack ocelli and even the proboscis (which is usually well developed in the family); as typical for the family, however, they usually have large labial palps which form a "snout".

Ecologically, the subfamily is noted for a number of species that coevolved with Hymenoptera, namely Apoidea (bees and relatives). The larvae may be parasites or symbionts, and the adults of such species at least to some degree are inquilines (though usually pursued by the nest inhabitants). Especially notable among these Galleriinae are the waxworms (Achroia and Galleria larvae) which are both significant as beekeeping pests and as commercial items, as well as Aphomia species. Others, especially the rice moth (Corcyra cephalonica) and Paralipsa, are noted pests of stored food products.

Systematics

The diversity of Galleriinae known in the mid-20th century was fully catalogued by P.E.S. Whalley of the UK Natural History Museum, but no dedicated phylogenetic analysis has been conducted. Notwithstanding, such studies exist for the Pyraloidea as a whole, and these indicate that the Galleriinae are a rather primitive lineage of Pyralidae, comparable to the Chrysauginae. The latter may be the closest living relatives of the Galleriinae, or an independent but equally ancient snout moth lineage that simply looks similar due to sharing many plesiomorphic traits.

The Galleriinae are currently divided into five tribes, though this may change eventually. For one thing, some genera are presently insufficiently studied or too aberrant to be firmly assignable to any one tribe; for another, in the absence of detailed phylogenetic studies the best systematic treatment for members of this subfamily remains a best guess. Furthermore, not all Galleriinae are known to science; new species and genera continue to be discovered. A supposed additional tribe ("Macrothecini") is based on a misidentified specimen of Cacotherapia interalbicalis; on the other hand the genus Joelminetia, of which the first specimens reached the hands of researchers only in the 1990s, turned out to be so distinct as to warrant establishment of its own monotypic tribe.

Adult bee moth (Aphomia sociella) of the Tirathabini

The tribes and genera – with some significant species also noted – in this subfamily are:

Cacotherapiini Munroe, 1995 (= Macrothecini) Alpheias Ragonot, 1891 Alpheioides Barnes & McDunnough, 1912 Cacotherapia Dyar, 1904 Decaturia Barnes & McDunnough, 1912 Genopaschia Dyar, 1914 Galleriini Zeller, 1848 Achroia Cathayia Hampson in Ragonot, 1901 Chevalierella Ghesquière, 1943 Eloeidiphilos Praviel, 1938 Galleria – greater wax moth, honeycomb moth Trachylepidia Ragonot, 1887 Joelminetiini Speidel & Witt, 2007 Joelminetia Speidel & Witt, 2007 Megarthridiini Whalley, 1964 Cataprosopus Butler, 1881 Eulophopalpia Inoue, 1982 Megarthridia Martin, 1956 Omphalocera Lederer, 1863 Omphalocera munroei – asimina webworm Perinetoides Marion, 1955 Sphinctocera Warren, 1897 Thyridopyralis Dyar, 1901Tirathabini Whalley, 1964 Acracona Acyperas Antiptilotis Meyrick, 1897 Aphomia Bapara Walker, 1865 Callionyma Meyrick, 1882 Callionyma sarcodes Ceratothalama Meyrick, 1932 Corcyra – rice moth Cristia Whalley, 1964 Doloessa Zeller, 1848 Eldana Epimorius Zeller, 1877 Ertzica Walker, 1866 Ethopia Walker, 1865 Galleristhenia Hampson, 1917 Heteromicta Meyrick, 1886 Heteromicta pachytera Hypolophota Turner, 1904 Lamoria Mampava Ragonot, 1888 Mecistophylla Turner, 1937 Metaraphia Hampson in Ragonot, 1901 Meyriccia Hampson, 1917 Microchlora Hampson in Ragonot, 1901 Neoepimorius Whalley, 1964 Neophrida Möschler, 1882 Paralipsa Butler, 1879 Paralipsa gularis – stored nut moth Paraphomia Hampson in Ragonot, 1901 Parazanclodes Hampson in Ragonot, 1901 Paroxyptera Ragonot, 1901 Picrogama Meyrick, 1897 Pocopaschia Dyar, 1914 Pogrima Schaus, 1940 Prasinoxena Meyrick, 1894 Proropoca Hampson, 1916 Prosthenia Hampson in Ragonot, 1901 Schistotheca Ragonot, 1882 Statia Ragonot, 1901 Stenachroia Hampson, 1898 Stenopaschia Hampson, 1906 Thalamorrhyncha Meyrick, 1933 Tirathaba Walker, 1864 Xenophasma Dognin, 1905incertae sedis Gallerites Kernbach, 1967 Marisba Walker, 1863 Rhectophlebia Ragonot, 1888 Yxygodes Viette, 1989

Footnotes

  • Jia, Feng-You; Greenfield, Michael D.; Collins, Robert D. (2001). "Ultrasonic signal competition between male wax moths". Journal of Insect Behavior. 14 (1): 19–33. doi:.
  • Pitkin, Brian & Jenkins, Paul (2004): – . Version of November 5, 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
  • Savela, Markku (2011): . Version of March 8, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
  • Solis, M. Alma (June 2007). . Revista Colombiana de Entomología. 33 (1): 1–8. [English with Spanish abstract].
  • Zhou, Yihong; Kuster, Heidi K.; Pettis, Jeffrey S.; Danka, Robert G.; Gleason, Jennifer M.; Greenfield, Michael D. (June 2008). . Evolution. 62 (6): 1317–1334. doi:. JSTOR .

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