CACTUS FEEDERS AMD SCAVENGERS 



LEPIDOPTERA 



The larvae of the various Lepidoptera are internal feeders. The 

 great majority of the species are included in the family Phycitidae; 

 the remainder comprise one species of Pyralidae, five species of Pyr- 

 austidae, two species of Gelechiidae, one or possibly two species of 

 Tineidae, and one of Gracilariidae. Also included are one species 

 of Lycaenidae, which may not be restriced to cactus hosts, and un- 

 determined representatives of several other families (see pp. 86-87). 



Phycitidae 



This is the dominant group of cactus insects, comprising at least 47 

 species. The cactus-feeding phycitids were revised by Carl Heinrich in 

 1939 and the American species were later treated by him (1956) in 

 his monograph on the New World Phycitinae. In his valuable 1939 

 contribution, several new genera were erected for species previously 

 placed in older genera, and in it he recognized 18 genera, 46 species, 

 and 2 varieties. Of his 48 species and varieties, 1 1 are known from adults 

 only; hence their larval feeding habits have not been established. They 

 are so closely related to species definitely known to be cactus insects, 

 however, that it can be assumed that they are true cactus forms. There 

 are 35 species whose larval food habits have been ascertained; to these 

 must be added several species known from larvae only, or from one 

 or two undescribed adults. 



In this publication, the names and synonymy of Heinrich' s (1956) 

 paper have been adopted, although two forms of Melitara, considered 

 by Heinrich to be synonyms, have been maintained as separate enti- 

 ties. In all, 40 cactus phycitids are here recognized and discussed; an 

 additional 11 species known only from adults are noted but not rec- 

 ognized. Other phycitids found in association with cactus are also 

 mentioned. As has been mentioned earlier, many more species will 

 probably be discovered in this group when greater attention is paid 

 to the insect enemies of cacti other than Opuntia, especially in Mexico, 

 Central America, and northern South America. Several solitary forms 

 have been found in various species of Cereanae in Brazil and Argentina. 



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