Hypocrita celina - Hodges#8038.1
Hypocrita celina
This record describes Hypocrita celina (species). Recorded family: Erebidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Synonymy of Hypocrita escuintla with H. celina proposed by Becker (2013) and Vincent & Laquerre (2013). Noted by Lafontaine & Schmidt (2015).
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Noctuoidea
- Family
- Erebidae
- Subfamily
- Arctiinae
- Tribe
- Arctiini
- Genus
- Hypocrita
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Texas, Florida / Guatemala Rare: 2 TX & 1 FL record (BG data)
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Hypocrita celina. 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 Hypocrita celina - Hodges#8038.1 (4)
Photo credits: Contributed by Maury J. Heiman; Additional contributions by Steve Nanz , Mike Quinn , ceiseman