Greya subalba - Hodges#0191
Greya subalba
This record describes Greya subalba (species). Recorded family: Prodoxidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Braun original description is online in print references.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Adeloidea
- Family
- Prodoxidae (Yucca Moths and Allies)
- Subfamily
- Prodoxinae
- Genus
- Greya
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Southern British Columbia, Alberta, to Washington, northern Idaho, western Montana.
Diet and Behavior
Diet: Larval host plants are in family Umbelliferae: Lomatium ambiguum , L. dissectum , L. grayi , L. triternatum , L. macrocarpum (Brown et al. 1994). Adults do not feed (Davis et al. 1992) This is the only species of Greya that has ever been observed to simultaneously use different hosts at the same site (Thompson 1987).
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Greya subalba. 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 Greya subalba - Hodges#0191 (2)
Photo credits: Contributed by Maury J. Heiman
Frequently Asked Questions About Greya subalba - Hodges#0191
What is Greya subalba - Hodges#0191?
Greya subalba - Hodges#0191 (Greya subalba) is a species in the family Prodoxidae, within the order Lepidoptera.
How big is Greya subalba - Hodges#0191?
Braun listed the wingspan. ♀ 11-14 mm. ♂ 14-16.5 mm.
How do you identify Greya subalba - Hodges#0191?
Braun original description is online in print references.
Where is Greya subalba - Hodges#0191 found?
Range: Southern British Columbia, Alberta, to Washington, northern Idaho, western Montana.
What does Greya subalba - Hodges#0191 eat?
The diet of the Greya subalba - Hodges#0191 includes Larval host plants are in family Umbelliferae: Lomatium ambiguum , L. dissectum , L. grayi , L. triternatum , L. macrocarpum (Brown et al. 1994). Adults do not feed (Davis et al. 1992) This is the only species of Greya that has ever been observed to simultaneously use different hosts at the same site (Thompson 1987)..