Aholibah Underwing - Hodges#8800
Catocala aholibah
This record describes Catocala aholibah (species). Recorded family: Erebidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Noctuoidea
- Family
- Erebidae
- Subfamily
- Erebinae
- Tribe
- Catocalini
- Genus
- Catocala (Underwings)
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Ranges over much of the West where there is oak, from the Rocky Mountain Front and northwestern Great Plains to the Pacific. ( 7 ) Type locality: "the higher mountains of California" (presumably the Sierra Nevadas). ( 8 )
Diet and Behavior
Diet: Larvae feed on oak, including Quercus agrifolia, Q. alba, Q. macrocarpa, Q. gambelii and Q. garryana . ( 9 ) , ( 7 )
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Specific epithet from the Hebrew Bible. Aholibah is Ezekiel's pejorative personification given to Jerusalem.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Catocala aholibah. 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 Aholibah Underwing - Hodges#8800 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Chuck Entz; Additional contributions by John Davis , Maury Heiman , marcie oconnor , Randy Hardy
Frequently Asked Questions About Aholibah Underwing - Hodges#8800
How big is Aholibah Underwing - Hodges#8800?
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | Wingspan 70 mm. |
| Forewing | Forewing length 27-38 mm. ( 7 ) |
Where is Aholibah Underwing - Hodges#8800 found?
Range: Ranges over much of the West where there is oak, from the Rocky Mountain Front and northwestern Great Plains to the Pacific. ( 7 ) Type locality: the higher mountains of California (presumably the Sierra Nevadas). ( 8 )
What does Aholibah Underwing - Hodges#8800 eat?
The diet of the Aholibah Underwing - Hodges#8800 includes Larvae feed on oak, including Quercus agrifolia, Q. alba, Q. macrocarpa, Q. gambelii and Q. garryana . ( 9 ) , ( 7 ).