REVISION OF MOTHS OF PRODOXINAE H 



Systematic Position and Evolution 



Originally, Tegeticula yuccasella was thought by Riley to be a member 

 of the Tineidae, but upon the discovery of Prodoxus and several new 

 species, the family Prodoxidae (Riley, 1881) was proposed. Its 

 affinities were beheved to be primarily with the Tineidae and only 

 superficially with the Yponomeutidae. Dyar (1903a) did not treat 

 the yucca moths as a separate family, but placed them in the Tineidae 

 near the genus Adela. 



Largely on the basis of the female genitaha and presence of aculeae 

 over the wing surface, Busck (1914) recognized the true relationships 

 of the yucca moths to the other aculeate groups and considered them 

 as a distinct family, separate from the Incurvariidae and Adehdae. 



Apparently Forbes (1923) was the first to consider the yucca moths 

 as a subfamily of the Incurvariidae. The other subfamily he recog- 

 nized was Adelinae, which presently is considered to be composed 

 of two distinct famihes, the Incurvariidae and Adehdae. Handlirsch 

 (1925) likewise treated the Prodoxinae as a subfamily, but included 

 them in the Tineidae; thus, envisioning a large, heterogenous family 

 for this group as did Dyar and numerous, earlier workers. Bourgogne 

 (1951) agreed with the classification of Forbes in recognizing the 

 Prodoxinae as a subfamily of the Incurvariidae. 



In the present study I have treated the Incurvariidae as consisting 

 of two subfamilies, the Incurvariinae, sensu strictu, and the Pro- 

 doxinae. The Adehdae, which are characterized in part by a more 

 developed tongue, reduced maxillary palpi, and certain secondary 

 adaptations such as elongated antennae and enlarged eyes, may 

 prove to be separate from the Incurvariidae. 



It seems certain that the Prodoxinae represent a New World 

 specialization, derived, perhaps, from some primitive and now extinct 

 incurvariine. Morphologically the two subfamfiies are very close 

 and at present can not be clearly separated on the basis of the adults. 

 Previously, the principal basis used to dehmit these two groups was 

 the length of the maxdlary palpi; those of the Prodoxinae were 

 considered longer than those of Incurvariinae (Forbes, 1923). With 

 the discovery of Agavenema, however, this character has proven to 

 be of less significance. Instead, there appears to be a gradual reduc- 

 tion in the length of the maxiUary palpi through the Prodoxinae and 

 Incurvariinae to such genera as Chalceopla, which possesses a greatly 

 shortened, two-segmented palpus. The maxillary palpi of most 

 Lampronia are proportionately longer than those of Agavenema and 

 more closely approximate the length observed in Prodoxus. Other 

 similarities, particidarly in the genitaha and wing venation, also 

 exist between the two subfamihes which prevent a clear separation. 



