Gelechiinae

Classification

Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Gelechioidea
Family: Gelechiidae
Subfamily: Gelechiinae

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Gelechiinae: /dʒɛˌlɛkiˈaɪni/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Athrips mouffetella (51352455482) by Ben Sale from Stevenage, UK. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Athrips mouffetella (44508485322) by Ben Sale from Stevenage, UK. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Aroga velocalla (36953679065) by Ben Sale from UK. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Athrips mouffetella by Donald Hobern. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Chionodes fuscomaculella P1400652a by
xpda. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Pyrausta purpuralis (36814080501) by Ben Sale from UK. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Summary

Gelechiinae is the largest subfamily of the family Gelechiidae, consisting of 663 species across 57 genera. It was described by Henry Tibbats Stainton in 1854 and is characterized by distinctive male genital morphology.

Physical Characteristics

Moths in the subfamily Gelechiinae are characterized by their unique male genital structures, particularly with the presence of free 'flaps' formed from an inner unsclerotized membrane and an outer sclerotized part of tergum VIII and sternum VIII. This results in tergum VIII often being tongue-shaped and sternum VIII being broadly constructed, sometimes with paired rod-like lobes.

Identification Tips

Look for the distinctive male genital structures during identification, such as the shape of tergum VIII and the presence of paired anterior apophyses on sternum VIII.

Similar Taxa

Gelechiidae