Idia julia - Hodges#8328

Idia julia

This record describes Idia julia (species). Recorded family: Erebidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Idia julia - Hodges#8328 - Idia julia — Contributed by Chuck Entz; Additional contributions by Tony-2 , anitagould , Steve Morris

Averages larger than I. rotundalis and is paler. There are pale markings where the lines meet the costa. Along the subterminal line, these extend the full width of the forewing as a faint line. The postmedian line is bent more sharply towards the wingtip than in I. rotundalis. The reniform spot marking is distinct. [Paraphrased from the original species description; see link below. A specimen in hand can be told by the distinctive underside described there.]

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Herminiinae
Genus: Idia

Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Idia julia. 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.

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