| Lithocolletinae | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Gracillariidae |
| Subfamily: | Lithocolletinae Stainton, 1854 |
| Genera | |
|
See "Genera" |
|
| Diversity | |
| About 500 species | |
Lithocolletinae is a subfamily of insects in the family Gracillariidae.[1]
Contents |
The subfamily includes 503 species assigned to seven to nine genera according to different authors. The subfamily has a worldwide distribution, but is more species-rich in temperate zones: 273 species are known from the Palaearctic ecozone, 142 species from the Nearctic ecozone, 49 species from the Oriental ecozone, 26 species from the Afrotropical ecozone, 16 species from the Neotropical ecozone and only 8 species from the Australasian ecozone. Probably many more taxa will be discovered in the southern hemisphere. However, even in the seemingly well-known European and North American Lithocolletinae fauna the generic assignment of some lithocolletine species is still questionable; for example, the species-rich genus Phyllonorycter, comprising about 400 species and having a world-wide distribution, has served for some time as a depository for several species of uncertain phylogenetic placement.
Lithocolletinae are very small moths (less than 10 mm in wing expanse) with often brilliantly coloured forewings of ochreous-orange or reddish-brown ground colour, marked by white or silvery white striae and fasciae.
The hostplant range within the subfamily is broad. Lithocolletinae species have been recorded feeding on 36 families of plants. Approximately 32 families of dicotyledonous plants serve as hosts for Phyllonorycter moths, compared to 11 families for Cameraria.