Prodoxidae
Encyclopedia
Prodoxidae is a family of primitive monotrysia
n Lepidoptera
. Some of these small-to-medium sized moths are day flying, like Lampronia capitella, known to European gardeners as the "Currant Shoot Borer"http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=1443. Others occur in Africa
and Asia
.Tetragma gei feeds on Mountain Avens Geum
triflorum in USA. Greya politella lay eggs in the flowers of Saxifragaceae
there. The last five genera listed here are confined to dry areas of the United States. Prodoxoides asymmetra occurs in Chile
and Argentina
(Nielsen and Davis, 1985), but all other prodoxid moth genera have a northern distribution. The enigmatic genus Tridentaforma is sometimes placed here and assumed to be close to Lampronia, while other authors consider it incertae sedis
among the closely related family Adelidae
.
"Yucca Moths" have a remarkable biology. They are famous for an old and intimate relationship with Yucca
plants and are their obligate
pollinators as well as herbivores (Pellmyr et al., 1996). Interactions of these organisms range from obligate
mutualism to commensalism
to outright antagonism
. Their bore holes are a common sight on trunks of such plants as the Soaptree yucca
. Two of the three yucca moth genera in particular, Tegeticula and Parategeticula, have an obligate pollination mutualism with yuccas. Yuccas are only pollinated by these moths, and the pollinator
larva
e feed exclusively on yucca seed
s. Species of the third genus of yucca moths, Prodoxus, are not engaged in the pollination mutualism, nor do the larvae feed on developing seeds. Their egg
s are deposited in fruit
s and leaves, where they eat and grow, not emerging until fully mature. The adult Yucca moths are usually quite small and have tiny spines covering their wings.
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 Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
. Some of these small-to-medium sized moths are day flying, like Lampronia capitella, known to European gardeners as the "Currant Shoot Borer"http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=1443. Others occur in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.Tetragma gei feeds on Mountain Avens Geum
Geum
Geum , commonly called avens, is a genus of about 50 species of perennial herbaceous plants in the rose family Rosaceae, native to Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa and New Zealand...
triflorum in USA. Greya politella lay eggs in the flowers of Saxifragaceae
Saxifragaceae
Saxifragaceae is a plant family with about 460 known species in 36 genera. In Europe there are 12 genera.The flowers are hermaphroditic and actinomorphic...
there. The last five genera listed here are confined to dry areas of the United States. Prodoxoides asymmetra occurs in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
(Nielsen and Davis, 1985), but all other prodoxid moth genera have a northern distribution. The enigmatic genus Tridentaforma is sometimes placed here and assumed to be close to Lampronia, while other authors consider it incertae sedis
Incertae sedis
, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
among the closely related family Adelidae
Adelidae
| name = Fairy longhorn moths| image=Unidentified animal 007 .jpg| image_width = 240px| image_caption= Adult of an unidentified fairy longhorn mothfrom Chemnitz | regnum = Animalia| phylum = Arthropoda...
.
"Yucca Moths" have a remarkable biology. They are famous for an old and intimate relationship with Yucca
Yucca
Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North...
plants and are their obligate
Obligate
Obligate means "by necessity" and is used mainly in biology in phrases such as:* Obligate aerobe, an organism that cannot survive without oxygen* Obligate anaerobe, an organism that cannot survive in the presence of oxygen...
pollinators as well as herbivores (Pellmyr et al., 1996). Interactions of these organisms range from obligate
Obligate
Obligate means "by necessity" and is used mainly in biology in phrases such as:* Obligate aerobe, an organism that cannot survive without oxygen* Obligate anaerobe, an organism that cannot survive in the presence of oxygen...
mutualism to commensalism
Commensalism
In ecology, commensalism is a class of relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits but the other is neutral...
to outright antagonism
Antagonism
Antagonism is hostility that results in active resistance, opposition, or contentiousness.Additionally, it may refer to:*Antagonism , where the involvement of multiple agents reduces their overall effect...
. Their bore holes are a common sight on trunks of such plants as the Soaptree yucca
Soaptree yucca
The Soaptree yucca is a perennial plant in the genus Yucca. It is native to southwestern North America, in the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Desert in the United States , and northern Mexico .This plant grows from 1.2-4.5 m tall, with a sparsely branched trunk...
. Two of the three yucca moth genera in particular, Tegeticula and Parategeticula, have an obligate pollination mutualism with yuccas. Yuccas are only pollinated by these moths, and the pollinator
Pollinator
A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain...
larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e feed exclusively on yucca seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s. Species of the third genus of yucca moths, Prodoxus, are not engaged in the pollination mutualism, nor do the larvae feed on developing seeds. Their egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s are deposited in fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s and leaves, where they eat and grow, not emerging until fully mature. The adult Yucca moths are usually quite small and have tiny spines covering their wings.