Archips nigriplagana - Hodges#3648.2
Archips nigriplagana
This record describes Archips nigriplagana (species). Recorded family: Tortricidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Tortricoidea
- Family
- Tortricidae (Tortricid Moths)
- Subfamily
- Tortricinae
- Tribe
- Archipini
- Genus
- Archips
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Holotype ♂: McLean Bogs Reserve, Tompkins County, New York, 2 July 1953 (J.G. Franclemont). Paratypes: Snyder Heights 1100 ft., Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York, 10 July 1979 (J.G. Franclemont); Highlands 3865 ft., Macon County, North Carolina, 11 July 1958 (J.G. Franclemont); Owsley County, Kentucky, 3 miles NE Booneville, 14 June 1980; (Loran D. Gibson); Pine Mountain State Park, Kentucky, 6-9-1981 [9 June 1981?] (Carl Cornett).
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Specific epithet from Latin meaning "black-spotted."
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Archips nigriplagana. 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.
Photos of Archips nigriplagana - Hodges#3648.2 (4)
Photo credits: Contributed by Jason J. Dombroskie; Additional contributions by Randy Hardy