847 * H I Galleria mellonella Linnaeus, 1758 [Jan – Dec] – – – Greater Wax Moth, Wax Worm (larva) T: Covell (1984) L: None C: Unknown

45.2. Chrysauginae

Small (10–30 mm wingspan) moths with relatively broad wings. Th ey can be distinguished from other pyralids by the absence of maxillary palps. Larvae have diverse, sometimes bizarre feeding habits. Most are leafrollers or borers in fruits, stems, or roots. In the tropics, several genera are associated with sloths and feed on sloth dung; some others feed in ant and wasp nests, and one species has been observed feeding on the spines of saturniid larvae.

Approximately 400 species of Chrysauginae are known worldwide, mostly in the neotropics. Thirty-eight species are known from North America, one of which is reported in AB. Th e North American species in the group were treated in an unpublished thesis by Cashatt (1968); a few more species have been described or reported in North America since then.

848 * R Acallis gripalis (Hulst, 1886) Jun – Jul – – G T: Cashatt (1968)

L: Bowman (1951), Cashatt (1968) C: CNC

45.3. Pyralinae

Small (15–30 mm wingspan), often brightly colored moths with broad wings, superficially similar to the geometrids or the pyraustine crambids. Larvae feed primarily on dried materials or detritus; several species are pests of stored products. A few species feed on living plants.

Approximately 900 species of Pyralinae are known worldwide, primarily from Asia and Africa. Twenty-seven species are known in North America, seven of which are reported in AB. Th e higher taxonomy of the group was treated by Solis and Shaffer (1999). Although the pest species are reasonably well known, most descriptions of North American Pyralinae are more than 100 years old, and no species-level revisions have been published for the group.