LepidopteraChimabachidae2 data sources

Diurnea fagella

This record describes Diurnea fagella (species). Recorded family: Chimabachidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Wingspan 19-29 mm. The females have much shorter, stunted wings than the males and are rarely seen as they do not fly. This is an early spring species, occurring from March to May. The caterpillars feed on various deciduous trees. Fairly frequent throughout much of Britain, the melanic form occurs in some northern and industrial areas. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

Wikipedia reference for Diurnea fagella: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diurnea_fagella.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Chimabachidae
Genus: Diurnea

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

Habitat and Range

Habitat

Often in well wooded areas.

Seasonal Activity

This is an early spring species, occurring from March to May.

Diet and Behavior

Life History

The caterpillars feed on various deciduous trees.

Additional species information

Recorded status

Fairly frequent throughout much of Britain, the melanic form occurs in some northern and industrial areas. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Diurnea fagella. 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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