Dowdy Pinion - Hodges#9916
Lithophane unimoda
This record describes Lithophane unimoda (species). Recorded family: Noctuidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Adult: forewing bluish gray with a pale orbicular spot, a small elliptical claviform spot touching inner margin of orbicular spot, and a faint reniform spot outlined with light gray. Dark gray patch between reniform and orbicular spots. AM and ST lines zigzagged, indistinct. HW is pale grayish brown. Caterpillar is green with a yellow spiracular stripe the length of the body, and black spiracles. The last instar is green with a solid thin white dorsal stripe, spotted subdorsal stripes, and a thin yellow spiracular stripe. The moths can be attracted with sugar bait.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Noctuoidea
- Family
- Noctuidae (Owlet Moths)
- Subfamily
- Noctuinae
- Tribe
- Xylenini
- Genus
- Lithophane (Pinions)
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Nova Scotia to South Carolina, west to Missouri and Nebraska, north to Saskatchewan
Seasonal Activity
adults fly from October to December, overwinter, and fly again from February to May; occasionally active in mid-winter on warm days larvae in spring and early summer
Diet and Behavior
Diet: Larvae feed mostly on leaves of black cherry, and some other deciduous trees such as plum, pear, and crabapple. Caterpillars need to eat young leaves; they will starve if only eating older leaves. Late instar larvae may also feed on the fruit of the host plant.
Life History
one generation per year; overwinters as an adult; eggs are laid in spring and hatch when host trees are beginning to leaf
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Lithophane unimoda. 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 Dowdy Pinion - Hodges#9916 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by tom murray; Additional contributions by Robin McLeod , Steve Morris
Frequently Asked Questions About Dowdy Pinion - Hodges#9916
What is Dowdy Pinion - Hodges#9916?
Dowdy Pinion - Hodges#9916 (Lithophane unimoda) is a species in the family Noctuidae, within the order Lepidoptera.
How big is Dowdy Pinion - Hodges#9916?
38-44 mm wingspan
How do you identify Dowdy Pinion - Hodges#9916?
Adult: forewing bluish gray with a pale orbicular spot, a small elliptical claviform spot touching inner margin of orbicular spot, and a faint reniform spot outlined with light gray. Dark gray patch between reniform and orbicular spots. AM and ST lines zigzagged, indistinct. HW is pale grayish brown. Caterpillar is green with a yellow spiracular stripe the length of the body, and black spiracles. The last instar is green with a solid thin white dorsal stripe, spotted subdorsal stripes, and a thin yellow spiracular stripe.
Where is Dowdy Pinion - Hodges#9916 found?
Range: Nova Scotia to South Carolina, west to Missouri and Nebraska, north to Saskatchewan
What does Dowdy Pinion - Hodges#9916 eat?
The diet of the Dowdy Pinion - Hodges#9916 includes Larvae feed mostly on leaves of black cherry, and some other deciduous trees such as plum, pear, and crabapple. Caterpillars need to eat young leaves; they will starve if only eating older leaves. Late instar larvae may also feed on the fruit of the host plant..
When is Dowdy Pinion - Hodges#9916 active?
Dowdy Pinion - Hodges#9916: seasonal activity - adults fly from October to December, overwinter, and fly again from February to May; occasionally active in mid-winter on warm days larvae in spring and early summer.
What is the life cycle of a Dowdy Pinion - Hodges#9916?
one generation per year; overwinters as an adult; eggs are laid in spring and hatch when host trees are beginning to leaf