Agonoxenidae

The Agonoxenidae are a family of moths only contains four named species in the whole world – all in the type genus Agonoxena – if (e.g. following Nielsen et al., 1996) the Blastodacnidae are considered to be a separate family. Such a monotypic arrangement is fairly unusual in modern taxonomy without explicit need due to phylogenetic constraints, and with little reliable data on the latter, the traditional approach is followed here pending new studies.

Hodges (in Kristensen, 1999) retained the Blastodacnidae in the Agonoxenidae, giving a grouping of some 31 genera, but treated the whole as a subfamily Agonoxeninae of the grass-miner moths (Elachistidae). The latter at least is spurious, given that the Elachistidae have been subject to excessive overlumping. Collectively, the Agonoxenidae and "Blastodacnidae" are known as palm moths.

Selected genera

• Agonoxena Meyrick, 1921
• Asymphorodes (formerly in Cosmopterigidae)
• Chrysoclista
• Proterocosma (formerly in Cosmopterigidae)
• Tetanocentria Rebel, 1902
• Tocasta Busck, 1912

Blastodacna, Dystebenna, Haplochrois, Heinemannia and Spuleria are sometimes placed here, sometimes in the Elachistidae (or Blastodacnidae).

References

• Nielsen E.S., Edwards E.D. & Rangsi T.V. (eds.) (1996), Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia; Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera Volume 4; CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, 1996
• Kristensen, N.P. (ed.), 1999. Handbook of Zoology: Bd. 4. Arthropoda: Insecta. Teilbd. 35, Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies. Vol. 1. Evolution, systematics, and biogeography. W.de Gruyter, Berlin.