Panama Grass Tubeworm Moth
Acrolophus panamae
This record describes Acrolophus panamae (species). Recorded family: Tineidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Acrolophus panamae, the Panama grass tubeworm moth, is a moth of the Acrolophidae family. It was described by August Busck in 1914. It is found in North America, including Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Wikipedia reference for Acrolophus panamae: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrolophus panamae.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Tineoidea
- Family
- Tineidae (Fungus Moths, Clothes Moths, & Allies)
- Subfamily
- Acrolophinae
- Genus
- Acrolophus (Grass Tubeworm Moths)
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 Acrolophus panamae. 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.
