Family GELECHIIDAE

Gelechiidae

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Family GELECHIIDAE

Compiler and date details

March 2012 - You Ning Su, with advice from Ted Edwards, Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Canberra & Klaus Sattler, The Natural History Museum , London

Introduction

[Arrangement of taxa follows Klaus Sattler's informal arrangement of ANIC Gelechiidae on January 1998, text of this introduction taken from Edwards (1996)].
The Gelechiide were divided into three subfamilies, the Gelechiinae, Pexicopiinae and the Dichomeridinae by Hodges (1986). These were defined by the form of the abdominal support structures on the second sternite. Hodges (1986) did not allocate genera outside the USA to these subfamilies and it has not been possible to examine the Australian genera for this Checklist. Consequently the generic groups of Meyrick (1925b) are used with modifications based on Sattler (1973).

The world genera were reviewed in Genera Insectorum by Meyrick (1925b) and in Lepidopterorum Catalogus by Gaede (1937a). Sattler (1973) published a review of the generic names in the family and commented on the groupings within the family.

The Australian species were revised by Meyrick (1904) and Turner (1919b). Australian genera related to Pectinophora Busck were revised by Common (1958b) and the tribe Gnorimoschemini by Pololný (1974a, 1977a, 1977b). Other widespread genera (Athrips Billberg and Deltophora Janse) with Australian species were revised by Sattler (1978, 1979).

Australia has a very large poorly understood fauna of Gelechiidae with large numbers of undescribed species. Many endemic genera occur as well as many widespread genera. The "Protolechia" group of genera is almost entirely endemic. Although the Gelechiidae are very numerous in Australia they are overshadowed by the enormous diversity of Oecophoridae and consequently have not received the attention due to them.

THe Gelechiidae contain significant pest species. The introduced Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier) is an important store products pest. Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) and Symmetrischema tangolias (Gyen), both also introduced, and the native Scrobipalpa aptatella (Walker) and Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), are pests of field crops.

Specimens in the AM thought to represent the genus Onebala Walker, 1864 have been found in Queensland, but have not been identified to species level.

Specimens in the SAM thought to represent the genus Megacraspedus Zeller, 1839 have been found, but have not been identified to species level.

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications: Gelechiidae: Athrips Billberg, 1820 [with transfer of Athrips mesoleuca (Lower) to Sarotorna, this genus is removed from the Australian list]