Subfamily CRAMBINAE

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Regional Maps

• Chiloninae.
• Ancylolomiinae.

Introduction

[Modified after Shaffer et al. (1996: 166).
Crambinae are represented in Australia by 124 species, most endemic. The first native species was described by Svederus in 1787; most early descriptions were by Walker (1863b) and Zeller (1863) and continued by Meyrick. This century many were described by Turner and Lower, with more recent contributions by Koch (1966) (Hednota Meyrick) and Gaskin (1975, 1985) (Glaucocharis Meyrick). The most recent addition was by Schouten (1990) (Euchromius Guenée). The large endemic genus Hednota Meyrick, 1886 is currently being revised by Gaskin. The world fauna was catalogued by Bleszynski & Collins (1962).

The Crambinae occur world wide in all temperate and tropical zones and are known from about 2600 described species. Material in collections suggests that large numbers still await description, as noted in recently studied genera such as Glaucocharis Meyrick, Euchromius Guenée and Gargela Walker. A number of genera are associated with Poaceae and other monocotyledonous plants. Some, like Chilo Zincken, are stem-borers and notorious pests on rice, sugar-cane and maize (Bleszynski 1970). Hednota is particularly associated with grasses.

The most obvious features of the Crambinae are long, down-curved labial palpi and prominent, triangular maxillary palpi. They are very diverse in wing-shape and maculation, with wing pattern of predominantly longitudinal streaks and transverse lines in the distal region of the forewing, typically with strong apical markings.

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications

Crambinae: Gadira petraula Meyrick, 1882

Although this species appeared in the 1996 Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia, this is an endangered New Zealand species and the females are unable to fly, so not an Australian species.

General References

Bleszynski, S. 1970. A revision of the world species of Chilo Zincken (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology 25: 101-195, pls 1-5

Bleszynski, S. & Collins, R.J. 1962. A short catalogue of the world species of the family Crambidae (Lepidoptera). Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia 7: 197-389

Gaskin, D.E. 1975. A revision of the Australian species of Pareromene (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Crambinae: Diptychophorini). Australian Journal of Zoology 23: 123-147

Gaskin, D.E. 1985. Morphology and reclassification of the Australasian, Melanesian and Polynesian Glaucocharis Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Crambinae: Diptychophorini). Australian Journal of Zoology Suppl. 115: 1-75

Koch, L.E. 1966. The genus Hednota Meyrick (Lepidoptera; Pyralidae, Crambinae) in the south-west of Western Australia, with particular reference to economic webworm species. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 49: 93-116

Schouten, R.T.A. 1990. A new species of the genus Euchromius Guenée, 1845 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Crambinae) from Australia. Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 133: 265-267

Shaffer, M., Nielsen, E.S. & Horak, M. 1996. Pyraloidea. pp. 164-199 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.

Walker, F. 1863. Crambites & Tortricites. List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum 27: 1-286

Zeller, P.C. 1863. Chilonidarum et Crambidarum genera et species. Berolini. iv+56 pp.

History of changes