A CLADISTIC ANALYSIS OF PYRALID SPECIES (LEPIDOPTERA: PYRALIDAE) FROM PAKISTAN

Materials and Methods For the study of cladistic analysis of thirty pyralid species of the family Pyralidae a cladogram has been constructed using their apomorphic characters which were scanned from external morphological characters including colour patterns of entire body , characters of head components including proboscis , segments of maxillary palpi, wings and their venations and their males and females genital components. [...]segment of maxillary palpi 2X the length of third segment in Schoenobius show its more advance autapomorphic condition (18). In rest of the genera the two species of the genus Nephadoses and Scripophaga play sister group relationship to each other by their synapomorphies like, maxillary palpi moderate not more than 2X the eyes (gl) and mesonotal wings with veins Sc and R1 isolated or medially touching then isolated (q3) and out group relationship with Patissa and Schoenobius by their synapomorphies like, frons anteriorly conically produced (c5), maxillary palpi very large more than 3X the eyes (g2) and mesonotal wings with veins Sc and R1 unite by a cross vein (q5). In rest of the genera Microstega, Nomophila, Pleuroptya and Diaphania play sister group relationship to each other by their synapomorphies like metanotal wings with veins Sc+Rl isolated to each other (xl) and membranous conjunctiva with one knob-like comuti or without comuti (zm2) and outgroup relation ship with Paracorsia by its autapomorphies like metanotal wings with viens Sc+Rl stalked with Rs and arise from upper angle of cell (x8) and membranous conjunctiva with a pair of large thorn-like comuti (zm8).