Hodebertia testalis - Hodges#5199.6
Hodebertia testalis
This record describes Hodebertia testalis (species). Recorded family: Crambidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Hodebertia testalis (Fabricius, 1794) is now recognized from Florida and Texas in Hayden & Minno (2016), News Lepid. Soc., 58(4): 166-170.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Pyraloidea
- Family
- Crambidae (Crambid Snout Moths)
- Subfamily
- Spilomelinae
- Tribe
- Margaroniini
- Genus
- Hodebertia
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Florida and Texas - Hayden & Minno Central America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia Type Locality: India orientali.
Diet and Behavior
Diet: The larvae feed on Hibiscus, Gomphocarpus and Asclepias species (including Asclepias curassavica) per AfroMoths
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Hodebertia testalis. 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 Hodebertia testalis - Hodges#5199.6 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Steve Nanz; Additional contributions by Kyhl Austin , Steve Morris
Frequently Asked Questions About Hodebertia testalis - Hodges#5199.6
What is Hodebertia testalis - Hodges#5199.6?
Hodebertia testalis - Hodges#5199.6 (Hodebertia testalis) is a species in the family Crambidae, within the order Lepidoptera.
Where is Hodebertia testalis - Hodges#5199.6 found?
Range: Florida and Texas - Hayden & Minno Central America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia Type Locality: India orientali.
What does Hodebertia testalis - Hodges#5199.6 eat?
The diet of the Hodebertia testalis - Hodges#5199.6 includes The larvae feed on Hibiscus, Gomphocarpus and Asclepias species (including Asclepias curassavica) per AfroMoths.