[Taxacom] moth taxonomy

[John Grehan]

If there is any microlepidopteran systematist on this list who might be
able to clarify a question I have regarding the family status of
Argyresthiidae I would be most grateful. I have referred to this group
as a family in a forthcoming article, but it seems that quite a few
authors list it as a subfamily of Yponomeutidae. I am trying to learn
the rationale for the subfamily designation. So far I have gone back as
far as Kyrki (1984) (Entomologica Scandinavica), but he only presents
the subfamily designation (Argyresthiinae), citing this as the status
accepted by European sources. Of these four do not seem to encompass the
group, while the fourth is by Falkovitsh and Medvedev 1981 which is
written in Russian and I do not have to hand at this time.

 

What I am interested to know is whether the situation is one in which
the family Yponomeutidae was just enlarged to encompass several
monophyletic families, including Argyresthiidae, which were then
downgraded to subfamily status. Or was it a case that the Argyresthiidae
was shown to be more closely related to one or more species of
Yponomeutidae, or visa versa, and thus requiring a change in status. If
the former choice (enlarging the family Yponomeutidae) it would seem
that the choice is arbitary and there is no necessary reason for me to
accept it, even if it is popular. If the latter, then I would have to
recognize the changed relationships reflected in the revised taxonomic
status. So for all the literature I have read just accepts the subfamily
without phylogenetic justification.

 

John Grehan 

 

Dr. John R. Grehan

Director of Science and Collections

Buffalo Museum of Science1020 Humboldt Parkway

Buffalo, NY 14211-1193

email: jgrehan at sciencebuff.org

Phone: (716) 896-5200 ext 372

 

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