Macaria sanfordi - Hodges#6337
Macaria sanfordi
This record describes Macaria sanfordi (species). Recorded family: Geometridae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Geometroidea
- Family
- Geometridae (Geometrid Moths)
- Subfamily
- Ennominae
- Tribe
- Macariini
- Genus
- Macaria
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Holotype male: Port Sewall, Martin County, Florida, March 16-21, 1949 (L.J. Sanford). Allotype female: Port Sewall, Martin County, Florida, January 22, 1938 (L.C. Sanford).
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: "This species is named in honor of the collector of the bulk of the type series, Leonard J. Sanford." Leonard James Sanford was an officer of the New York Entomological Society, curator at the AMNH and made and made several trips to collect Lepidoptera for their collections. Crambus sanfordellus Klots, 1942 is also named in his honor.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Macaria sanfordi. 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 Macaria sanfordi - Hodges#6337 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Bob Patterson; Additional contributions by Randy Hardy