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The Crambidae are the grass moth family of Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is an order of insect that includes moths and butterfly. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterfly, skipper , and Hedylidae....
 (butterflies and moth
Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the Order Lepidoptera. The differences between butterflies and moths are more than just taxonomy....
s). They are quite variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass-stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies include brightly coloured and patterned insects which rest in wing-spread attitudes.

In many classifications, the Crambidae have been treated as a subfamily of the Pyralidae
Pyralidae

The Pyralidae or snout moths are a family of Lepidoptera.In many classifications, the Crambidae or grass moths have been treated as a sub-division of the Pyralidae, the combination being one of the largest families in the Lepidoptera....
 or snout-moths.






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The Crambidae are the grass moth family of Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is an order of insect that includes moths and butterfly. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterfly, skipper , and Hedylidae....
 (butterflies and moth
Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the Order Lepidoptera. The differences between butterflies and moths are more than just taxonomy....
s). They are quite variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass-stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies include brightly coloured and patterned insects which rest in wing-spread attitudes.

In many classifications, the Crambidae have been treated as a subfamily of the Pyralidae
Pyralidae

The Pyralidae or snout moths are a family of Lepidoptera.In many classifications, the Crambidae or grass moths have been treated as a sub-division of the Pyralidae, the combination being one of the largest families in the Lepidoptera....
 or snout-moths. The principal difference is a structure in the ear
Ear

The ear is the sense organ that detects sounds. The vertebrate ear shows a common biology from fish to humans, with variations in structure according to order and species....
s called the praecinctorium, which joins two tympanic membranes in the Crambidae, and is absent from the Pyralidae. It would seem to be a matter of personal opinion (therefore not susceptible to definitive decision) whether this distinction merits division into two families, or whether the common presence of ventrally-located ears should unify them into one family. The latest review by Munroe & Solis, in Kristensen (1999) retains the Crambidae as a full family.

Useful Crambids

  • Waterhyacinth moth Niphograpta albiguttalis, used to control its host (Eichhornia crassipes
    Eichhornia crassipes

    Eichhornia crassipes, commonly known as Common Water Hyacinth, is an invasive species of plant, which is native of Amazon basin. This plant is also used like a medicinal plant....
    ), in Florida
    Florida

    Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....


Harmless Crambids

  • Mint moth Pyrausta aurata


Harmful Crambids

Crambid larvae are typically stem borers in plants of the grass
Grass

Grass is the common word that generally describes monocotyledonous green plants. The family Poaceae are the "true grasses" and include most plants grown as grains, for pasture, and for lawns ....
 family. As this family contains many important crops, some Crambidae species achieve pest status. The European Corn Borer
European Corn Borer

The European Corn Borer is a pest of grain, particularly maize. The insect is native to Europe originally infesting varieties of millet including broom corn....
 Ostrinia nubilalis is perhaps the best known - introduced to the USA in the early 1900s, it is now widespread in all but the westernmost states. Other pest species include:
  • Chilo partellus, Spotted Stalk Borer
  • Chilo suppressalis, Asiatic Rice Borer
  • Crambus spp., Sod Webworm
    Sod Webworm

    The Sod webworms, Crambus, is an insect genus that causes damage to turfgrass areas and is distributed practically worldwide, with approximately 100 species recognized in the United States alone....
    s
  • Diatraea saccharalis, Sugarcane Borer
  • Maruca
    Maruca

    Maruca vitrata of the monotypic genus Maruca is a Pantropical insect pest of leguminous crops like pigeon pea, cowpea, mung bean and soybean....
     spp., bean pod borers


Gallery


See also

  • Visual gallery of Crambidae
  • List of crambid genera
    List of crambid genera

    The large moth family Crambidae contains the following genera:List of crambid genera: A List of crambid genera: B List of crambid genera: C List of crambid genera: D List of crambid genera: E List of crambid genera: F List of crambid genera: G List of crambid genera: H List of crambid genera: I List of crambid genera: J List of crambid genera: K...


External links

  • on the UF
    University of Florida

    The University of Florida is a Public university land-grant university, sea grant colleges, Space grant colleges major research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida, in the United States....
     / IFAS
    Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

    The University of Florida?s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information accessible....
     Featured Creatures Web site