Vetch Looper Moth - Hodges#8733

Caenurgia chloropha

This record describes Caenurgia chloropha (species). Recorded family: Erebidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Vetch Looper Moth - Hodges#8733 - Caenurgia chloropha — Contributed by Robin McLeod; Additional contributions by Maury Heiman , marcie oconnor , Robert H. Biagi

Adult: forewing light to medium brown, paler toward base, and sometimes with reddish tinge distally; wing crossed by four indistinct lines, slightly darker than ground color; AM line arc-shaped, slightly concave (a distinctive feature); small black dot near costa between first and second lines; large blackish reniform spot halfway along postmedial line; subterminal line composed of several evenly-spaced black dots Specimen identified by DNA analysis: Because of the similarity in spelling, this genus ( Caenurgia ) is sometimes confused with Caenurgina , a genus in the same subfamily and tribe as Caenurgia . This species is listed for Ontario in the NHIC database here but the species name does not appear on the Moths of Canada site.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Erebinae
Tribe: Euclidiini
Genus: Caenurgia

Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.

Habitat and Range

Geographic Range

southeastern United States

Diet and Behavior

Diet: Vetches and other legumes ( Moths of North Carolina )

Life History

egg; larva; adult male:

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Caenurgia chloropha. 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.

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