Desmia ploralis - Hodges#5167
Desmia ploralis
This record describes Desmia ploralis (species). Recorded family: Crambidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Hampson (1912) described deploralis as sexually dimorphic with HW white median band of females divided by a black line vs. a solid line in males. It would seem that ploralis is sexually dimorphic too though this seems contradicted by the description in Möschler, [1882] of propinqualis , a current synonym of ploralis , based on what he lists as a male specimen. Möschler's description and illustration seem to match that of female deploralis . There are plenty of examples of authors incorrectly stating the sex of type specimens. Could have just been a typo. - Steve Nanz (1/9/2021)
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Pyraloidea
- Family
- Crambidae (Crambid Snout Moths)
- Subfamily
- Spilomelinae
- Tribe
- Nomophilini
- Genus
- Desmia
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
USA: Florida. Type Locality ( ploralis ): French Guiana, Cayenne. Type Locality ( propinqualis ): Suriname, Paramaribo. Type Locality ( repandalis ): Guatemala, Chejel.
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Desmia ploralis (Guenée, 1854) includes as synonyms, propinqualis Möschler, [1882] and repandalis Schaus, 1920 in Munroe, (1995:66).
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Desmia ploralis. 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 Desmia ploralis - Hodges#5167 (2)
Photo credits: Contributed by Jeff Hollenbeck; Additional contributions by Steve Nanz , Kyhl Austin