REVISION OF MOTHS OF PRODOXINAE 25 



for many years. The life history of Tegeticula is analogous in some 

 respects to that of the fig insects of the chalcidoid family Agaontidae, 

 particularly in the fact that imless the pistils of the host are polinated 

 by the msect, no fruit will develop. Tegeticula, however, is further 

 remarkable in that the act of pollination, as well as that of pollen 

 collecting, are completely deliberate; whereas, in the fig insects these 

 activities are performed accidentally, due largely to the unusual 

 morphology of the fig flower. 



In brief, the female Tegeticula first collects, with the aid of her 

 specialized mouthparts, a quantity of pollen from one to several 

 flowers; she then inserts her ovipositor into a yucca pistil and deposits 

 one egg per puncture and a varying nmiiber per flower. Usually 

 followmg oviposition, and sometunes even before this act is completed, 

 she begins to force some of the pollen she is carrying, down the stig- 

 matic tube of the flower. Thus, pollination of the flower is insured, 

 as weU as a supply of seeds for the larvae to feed upon. 



The association of Prodoxus in this relationship is also of some 

 mterest, although not nearly as involved as described for Tegeticula. 

 The larvae of all species of Prodoxus either bore in the main flower 

 stalk, flower pedicel, or in the fleshy part of the fruit. It has been 

 pointed out by Riley (1892a) that, since the flower stalks of at least 

 some species of Yucca soon begin to die unless the flowers are polli- 

 nated, Prodoxus is dependent to a great extent upon the existence 

 of Tegeticula for survival. This unusual association may seem to 

 infer that Tegeticula necessarily would have had to precede Prodoxus 

 in time. Tegeticula is believed to be the more primitive group; 

 however, the present dependency of Prodoxus upon Tegeticula may 

 be a secondary development. This would be true if Prodoxus had 

 evolved dm-ing the period when Yucca was poUinated by diverse 

 agencies (e.g., wind, bees) and not just by females of Tegeticula. 

 Thus, ancestral Prodoxus could have developed as stem borers in 

 Yucca, as the genus Agavenema has in Agave, independent of any 

 presence of Tegeticula. 



Because the life histories of various members of this subfamily 

 differ so greatly accordmg to genus, a general review of this subject 

 will be found following the discussion of each genus. 



Checklist 



Tegeticula Zeller 

 Pronuba Riley 

 Thia Hy. Edwards 

 Thelethia Dyar 

 Valentinia Coolidge 



1. synthetica (Riley) 

 paradoxa (Trelease) 



221-519—67 3 



