Family COSMOPTERIGIDAE
Compiler and date details
March 2012 - You Ning Su, with advice from Ted Edwards, Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra
Introduction
[After Edwards & Nielsen in Nielsen et al. (1996: 102)].
The North American Cosmopterigidae were examined by Hodges (1978) and two of the subfamilies he established are represented in Australia, the Cosmopteriginae and the Chrysopeleiinae. Common (1990) placed many Australian genera in these subfamilies. The family in Australia is extremely poorly understood and many changes in the higher classification, in the genera, and in the composition of the family can be anticipated.
Large numbers of Australian species were described by Meyrick (1897) and Turner (1923, 1926) and Isorrhoa Meyrick was revised as part of the Heliodinidae in Genera Insectorum by Meyrick (1914) and also revised in the Heliodinidae by Turner (1914). However the family with its current composition has never been revised. The genus Macrobathra Meyrick and a few related genera were formerly placed in the Oecophoridae and reviewed by Meyrick (1886) and Turner (1932).
Australia has a very large fauna of Cosmopterigidae but because of their small size they have not been collected thoroughly. Large numbers of undescribed species are known and careful collecting will reveal many more.
Many genera (Cosmopterix Hübner, Labdia Walker, Limnaecia Stainton, Pyroderces Herrich-Schäffer) are widespread in the Old and New Worlds but some of the large genera in Australia are endemic (Macrobathra Meyrick, Trachydora Meyrick, Leptozestis Meyrick). Foodplant associations are mostly unknown but many species of Macrobathra Meyrick feed on Mimosaceae, Fabaceae and Caesalpiniaceae.
General References
Common, I.F.B. 1990. Moths of Australia. Carlton : Melbourne University Press vi+535 pp., 32 pls.
Edwards, E.D. & Nielsen, E.S. 1996. Cosmopterigidae. pp. 102-106 in Nielsen, E.S., Edwards, E.D. & Rangsi, T.V. (eds). Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 4 xiv 529 pp. & CD-ROM.
Hodges, R.W. 1978. Gelechioidea: Cosmopterigidae. In, Dominick, R.B. et al. (eds). The Moths of America North of Mexico. London : E.W. Classey Limited & R.B.D. Publications Inc. Vol. 6.1 166+x pp., 6 pls.
Meyrick, E. 1886. Descriptions of Australian Micro-lepidoptera. XII. Oecophoridae. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1 10(4): 765-832 [year of publication not confirmed]
Meyrick, E. 1897. Descriptions of Australian Microlepidoptera. XVII. Elachistidae. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 22: 297-435
Meyrick, E. 1914. Lepidoptera Heterocera Fam. Heliodinidae. Genera Insectorum 165: 1-29, pls 1-2
Sinev, S.Yu. 2002. World catalogue of cosmopterigid moths (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae). Trudy Zoologicheskogo Instituta 293: 1-184
Turner, A.J. 1914. On some moths from Melville and Bathurst Islands in the South Australian Museum. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 38: 245-248
Turner, A.J. 1923. New Australian Microlepidoptera. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia 47: 165-194
Turner, A.J. 1923. New Australian Microlepidoptera. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 36: 51-81
Turner, A.J. 1932. Revision of Australian Lepidoptera. Oecophoridae. I. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 57: 261-279
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05-Jun-2024 | 07-Mar-2012 | MODIFIED | ||
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |