Category: Families

Bucculatricidae

6 species in 1 genus are known from Block Island. In the Nearctic region, this family is represented by a single very large genus of tiny to minute leafmining moths.

Heliozelidae

4 species in 3 genera are known from Block Island. Members of this family of minute moths are generally monophagous or oligophagous leafminers. The species documented on Block Island are miners of tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica), and black cherry (Prunus serotina), respectively.

Prodoxidae

1 species is known from Block Island. This family is represented by two subfamilies in the Nearctic region. Lamproniinae are generally northern in distribution and day-flying, while Prodoxinae feed on yucca, and nearly all are restricted to the western US.

Tischeriidae

4 species in 3 genera are known from Block Island. Regionally, this family of minute moths includes only leafminers of Fagaceae, Rosaceae, and Asteraceae. The near-absence of oaks on Block Island limits the potential diversity of this group on the island. The species documented on Block Island are miners of oak (Quercus spp.) and chestnut (Castanea spp.), chestnut (Castanea spp.), blackberry (Rubus spp.), and asters (Asteraceae), respectively.

Nepticulidae

15 species in 5 genera are known from Block Island. This family of minute moths includes the smallest species found on Block Island. Most species are monophagous or oligophagous leafminers, most often of woody angiosperms, though other modes of endophytophagy are known; on Block Island, one species is a barkminer. The absence or rarity of many native tree species from the island limits potential local diversity of this group.

Doorenweerd, C., E.J. van Nieukerken, and R.J.B. Hoare, 2016. Phylogeny, classification and divergence times of pygmy leaf-mining moths (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae): the earliest lepidopteran radiation on Angiosperms? Syst. Entomol. 42: 267–287.

26 species in 16 genera are known from Block Island. Unusually among Lepidoptera, this family of mostly small to tiny moths is comprised mainly of ground-dwelling detritivores and fungivores.

Regier, J.C., C. Mitter, D.R. Davis, T.L. Harrison, J.C. Sohn, M.P. Cummings, A. Zwick, and K.T. Mitter. 2014. A molecular phylogeny and revised classification for the oldest ditrysian moth lineages (Lepidoptera: Tineoidea), with implications for ancestral feeding habits of the mega-diverse Ditrysia. Syst. Entomol. 40: 409–432.