LepidopteraNoctuidae – Owlet Moths

Eremobina leucoscelis - Hodges#9398

Eremobina leucoscelis

This record describes Eremobina leucoscelis (species). Recorded family: Noctuidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Eremobina leucoscelis - Hodges#9398 (Eremobina leucoscelis) is a species in the family Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, belonging to the order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths). It is classified within the subfamily Noctuinae, tribe Apameini, superfamily Noctuoidea. This species belongs to the genus Eremobina. Size: wingspan about 33 mm..

Identification notes

See Forbes, 1954: 211 genitalia

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae (Owlet Moths)
Subfamily: Noctuinae
Tribe: Apameini
Genus: Eremobina

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

Habitat and Range

Geographic Range

Great Plains north into Canada

Additional species information

Species notes from the sources

Etymology: This has been treated as a synonym of E. claudens with status revised in Lafontaine & Schmidt based on differences in DNA barcode and antennal structure.

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Eremobina leucoscelis. 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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