Poplar Carpenterworm Moth
Acossus centerensis
This record describes Acossus centerensis (species). Recorded family: Cossidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Acossus centerensis, the poplar carpenterworm, is a moth of the Cossidae family. It is found in North America from New Jersey west to Illinois and North Dakota. In Canada it is found from Quebec and Ontario west to British Columbia.
Wikipedia reference for Acossus centerensis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acossus centerensis.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Cossoidea
- Family
- Cossidae (Carpenter and Leopard Moths)
- Subfamily
- Cossinae
- Genus
- Acossus
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Acossus centerensis. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.
Ecological role of the group
Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.
Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
