Tineina

Definition

A taxonomic section within the order Lepidoptera, comprising the basal lineages of the clade Ditrysia. Tineina includes nine superfamilies—Tineoidea (clothes moths and relatives), Yponomeutoidea (ermine moths), Gelechioidea (twirler moths), Pyraloidea (snout moths), and others—united by shared derived features of the female genitalia and larval silk production. Members are typically small moths with reduced wing venation and larvae that feed on diverse substrates including keratin, fungi, and plant material.

Etymology

From Tinea, the type genus of the family Tineidae, + -ina (taxonomic suffix denoting a section or subsection)

Example

The clothes moth Tineola bisselliella belongs to the superfamily Tineoidea within Tineina, representing one of the earliest-diverging lineages of the speciose Ditrysia.

Related Terms

• Ditrysia
• Tineidae
• Tineoidea
• Heteroneura
• Glossata
• Yponomeutoidea
• Gelechioidea
• Pyraloidea

Usage Notes

Tineina is a section-rank taxon used in some lepidopteran classifications to group the non-Obtectomera Ditrysia; it is paraphyletic with respect to the more derived Apoditrysia. The rank 'section' sits between infraorder and superfamily in this scheme. Some modern phylogenetic treatments may not recognize Tineina as a formal rank, instead referring to 'basal Ditrysia' or listing superfamilies directly.