Pale Homochlodes - Hodges#6812
Homochlodes fritillaria
This record describes Homochlodes fritillaria (species). Recorded family: Geometridae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Identification notes
Genitalia: ♀ ♂
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Geometroidea
- Family
- Geometridae (Geometrid Moths)
- Subfamily
- Ennominae
- Tribe
- Lithinini
- Genus
- Homochlodes
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Homochlodes fritillaria (Guenée, [1858]) includes as synonym Homochlodes lactispargaria (Walker, 1861) and Homochlodes disconventa (Walker, 1860) in Matson & Mcguinness (2023).
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Homochlodes fritillaria. 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 Pale Homochlodes - Hodges#6812 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Cotinis; Additional contributions by Steve Nanz , Robin McLeod , Tony-2 , anitagould , Maury Heiman , marcie oconnor , Robert H. Biagi , Steve Morris