Diaphania infimalis - Hodges#5206
Diaphania infimalis
This record describes Diaphania infimalis (species). Recorded family: Crambidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Type locality: French Guiana, Cayenne D. infimalis is still on most lists however, per Capps in Kimball , specimens of Diaphania modialis have been misidentified as D. infimalis which is not found in NA. However, it seems unclear as to whether modialis was ever formally elevated to species and some authors treat it as a subspecies of Diaphania infimalis .
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Pyraloidea
- Family
- Crambidae (Crambid Snout Moths)
- Subfamily
- Spilomelinae
- Tribe
- Margaroniini
- Genus
- Diaphania
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Diaphania infimalis. 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 Diaphania infimalis - Hodges#5206 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Kyhl Austin; Additional contributions by Steve Nanz