Stiriinae

11. Stiriinae are characterized by the scale-like larval spinneret, an adult foretibial ‘claw’ comprising a cluster of several fused setae; and a vesica with many very large cornuti either distributed throughout the vesica or arranged in one or two large patches. The larvae of Stiriinae feed on seeds of Asteraceae ( Fibiger et al. 2009, Keegan et al. 2021). Keegan et al. (2019) elevated the subtribe Stiriina to subfamily and restricted it to what Lafontaine & Schmidt (2010) included in Stiriina . Stiriines are mainly distributed in southwestern North America and reach the greatest diversity in deserts and adjacent arid lands. Keegan et al. (2021) included Stilbia Stephens as the only Old World representative of the subfamily. Nikara Moore a small noctuid genus comprising two species distributed in Himalaya, China and northern Indochina and was transferred to Stiriinae by Saldaitis et al. (2022).