Epiblema grossbecki - Hodges#3175
Epiblema grossbecki
This record describes Epiblema grossbecki (species). Recorded family: Tortricidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
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
Southeastern United States. Described from specimens from Everglades, FL (April, 1912) and Fort Myers, FL in the collections of W.D. Kearfott .
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Specific epithet an unpublished manuscript name of W.D. Kearfott, honored by Heinrich, for John Author Grossbeck (1883-1914). Grossbeck began as an amatuer bug enthusiast and illustrator assisting Prof. J.B. Smith who described him as "one of his best discoveries." He went on to describe many of his own discoveries and was working on a the Lepidoptera of FLorida at the time of his early death.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Epiblema grossbecki. 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 grossbecki - Hodges#3175 (2)
Photo credits: Contributed by Ken Wolgemuth; Additional contributions by Maury Heiman , Randy Hardy