Tischerioidea
Encyclopedia
Tischerioidea is the superfamily of "trumpet" leaf miner
moths.
This is one candidate as the sister group (see also Palaephatoidea
) of the bulk of Lepidoptera, the Ditrysia
(Davis, 1999; Wiegmann et al., 2002), and they have a monotrysia
n type of female reproductive system. The superfamily contains just one family and traditionally one genus
, Tischeria, but currently three genera are recognised, widespread across the World including South America
(Davis, 1986), except for Australasia
(Puplesis and Diskus, 2003). These small moths are leaf-minershttp://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/tischeriidae.htm in the caterpillar stage, feeding mainly on Fagaceae
(Tischeria and Coptotriche), Asteraceae
and Malvaceae
(Astrotischeria), and some also on Rhamnaceae
, Tiliaceae
and Rosaceae
.
Leaf miner
Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...
moths.
This is one candidate as the sister group (see also Palaephatoidea
Palaephatoidea
Palaephatoidea is a superfamily of insects in the Lepidoptera order with a single family, Palaephatidae with seven known genera. These "Gondwanaland moths" exhibit a disjunct distribution occurring mainly in South America , with four species in eastern Australia and Tasmania and one in South Africa...
) of the bulk of Lepidoptera, the Ditrysia
Ditrysia
The Ditrysia are a natural group or clade of insects in the Lepidopteran order containing both butterflies and moths. They are so named because the female has two distinct sexual openings: one for mating, and the other for laying eggs .About 98% of described species of Lepidoptera belong to Ditrysia...
(Davis, 1999; Wiegmann et al., 2002), and they have a monotrysia
Monotrysia
The Monotrysia is a group of insects in the Lepidopteran order which is not currently considered to be a natural group or clade. The group contains only moths and most of these are small and are relatively understudied in many regions of the world...
n type of female reproductive system. The superfamily contains just one family and traditionally one genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, Tischeria, but currently three genera are recognised, widespread across the World including South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
(Davis, 1986), except for Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
(Puplesis and Diskus, 2003). These small moths are leaf-minershttp://www.leafmines.co.uk/html/tischeriidae.htm in the caterpillar stage, feeding mainly on Fagaceae
Fagaceae
The family Fagaceae, or beech family, comprises about 900 species of both evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs, which are characterized by alternate simple leaves with pinnate venation, unisexual flowers in the form of catkins, and fruit in the form of cup-like nuts. Fagaceous leaves are often...
(Tischeria and Coptotriche), Asteraceae
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
and Malvaceae
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...
(Astrotischeria), and some also on Rhamnaceae
Rhamnaceae
Rhamnaceae, the Buckthorn family, is a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs and some vines.The family contains 50-60 genera and approximately 870-900 species. The Rhamnaceae have a worldwide distribution, but are more common in the subtropical and tropical regions...
, Tiliaceae
Tiliaceae
Tiliaceae is a botanical name for a family of flowering plants. Such a family is not part of APG II, but it is found all through the botanical literature and remains prominently listed by nomenclatural databases such as IPNI....
and Rosaceae
Rosaceae
Rosaceae are a medium-sized family of flowering plants, including about 2830 species in 95 genera. The name is derived from the type genus Rosa. Among the largest genera are Alchemilla , Sorbus , Crataegus , Cotoneaster , and Rubus...
.
Sources
- Firefly Encyclopedia of Insects and Spiders, edited by Christopher O'Toole, ISBN 1-55297-612-2, 2002