Homaledra knudsoni - Hodges#1422.1
Homaledra knudsoni
This record describes Homaledra knudsoni (species). Recorded family: Pterolonchidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
... we have not one but two undescribed species in Florida that are serious pests of palms, in addition to H. sabalella ... Homaledra sp. 2 has white forewing veins, especially the radials. It doesn’t have scattered black scales, but the terminal spots are a bit more pronounced on average. The wings are narrower, and the antennae are longer than the wings. - James Hayden (pers. comm., 2/4/2018) This appears to be represented at BOLD by BIN BOLD:ACJ4987 .
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Gelechioidea
- Family
- Pterolonchidae
- Genus
- Homaledra
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
e. TX, FL (BG data)
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Homaledra knudsoni. 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 Homaledra knudsoni - Hodges#1422.1 (3)
Photo credits: Contributed by Steve Nanz; Additional contributions by Mike Quinn , Kyhl Austin