Cypress Looper - Hodges#8728
Cutina albopunctella
This record describes Cutina albopunctella (species). Recorded family: Erebidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Identification notes
Sexually dimorphic.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Noctuoidea
- Family
- Erebidae
- Subfamily
- Erebinae
- Tribe
- Euclidiini
- Genus
- Cutina
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Southeastern United States : southern Florida north to coastal Maryland, east to southern Indiana and south to eastern Texas.
Diet and Behavior
Diet: Larval host plant is Taxodium distichum (bald cypress).
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Cutina albopunctella. 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 Cypress Looper - Hodges#8728 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by v belov; Additional contributions by Maury Heiman , Randy Hardy , Kyhl Austin
Frequently Asked Questions About Cypress Looper - Hodges#8728
How big is Cypress Looper - Hodges#8728?
Forewing length: males 11.2-14 mm. females 11.8-13.9 mm
How do you identify Cypress Looper - Hodges#8728?
Sexually dimorphic.
Where is Cypress Looper - Hodges#8728 found?
Range: Southeastern United States : southern Florida north to coastal Maryland, east to southern Indiana and south to eastern Texas.
What does Cypress Looper - Hodges#8728 eat?
The diet of the Cypress Looper - Hodges#8728 includes Larval host plant is Taxodium distichum (bald cypress)..