Ethmia nivosella
This record describes Ethmia nivosella (species). Recorded family: Elachistidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
This is the species treated as nivosella by Powell (1973). Powell had not seen the type of the species and considered it likely to prove a senior synonym of scythropa (Walsingham, 1912), making the species shown on this page undescribed. In that case, a lectotype of adustella (Zeller, 1877), the type series of which is a mix of both species here discussed, could be designated to apply that name to the species shown here.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Gelechioidea
- Family
- Elachistidae (Grass Miner Moths)
- Subfamily
- Ethmiinae
- Genus
- Ethmia
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Greater Antilles
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Ethmia nivosella. 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 Ethmia nivosella (2)
Photo credits: Contributed by Aaron Hunt