Epiblema glaseri - Hodges#3183.1
Epiblema glaseri
This record describes Epiblema glaseri (species). Recorded family: Tortricidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
This page includes images of specimens which may refer to the Florida variant with reddish suffusion in the forewing (e.g., Plate Q:46e) of Epiblema glaseri Wright & Gilligan, 2023 mentioned in the comments in the original description for that species. For the present, we interpret the reddish-marked specimens as color variants of E. glaseri, but we did not include them amongst the paratypes, and we did not include their numerical data with that of typical specimens. I suspect that the two darker red specimens (in your images) [BG Photo# 1964534 and BOLD CNCLEP00025714 in BIN: BOLD:AAG0324 ] are conspecific with the 6 specimens [in MONA Fascicle 9.6] I examined, but I don’t know if they agree in genitalia. So, in my opinion, more work needs to be done before this situation can be satisfactorily resolved. (Donald Wright, pers. comm., 7i2025).
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Tortricoidea
- Family
- Tortricidae (Tortricid Moths)
- Subfamily
- Olethreutinae
- Tribe
- Eucosmini
- Genus
- Epiblema
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
USA: NC to FL and TX. Type locality: Ohoopee Dunes, Manuel Co., GA.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Epiblema glaseri. 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 Epiblema glaseri - Hodges#3183.1 (2)
Photo credits: Contributed by Aaron Hunt; Additional contributions by Steve Nanz