Alligatorweed Stemborer - Hodges#5913
Macrorrhinia endonephele
This record describes Macrorrhinia endonephele (species). Recorded family: Pyralidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
First introduced to the United States in 1971 as a possible biological control of the accidentally introduced pest alligatorweed, Alternanthera philoxeroides (Amaranthaceae). ( 4 )
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Pyraloidea
- Family
- Pyralidae (Pyralid Moths)
- Subfamily
- Phycitinae
- Tribe
- Phycitini
- Genus
- Macrorrhinia
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
FL north to MA and west to TX - BOLD (accessed 5/29/2020) ( 3 ) Type Locality ( endonephele Hampson): Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Type Locality ( malloi Pastrana): Argentina. Type Locality ( signifera Blanchard): Town Bluff, Tyler Co., TX.
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Macrorrhinia endonephele (Hampson, 1918) replaces Macrorrhinia signifera Blanchard, 1976, n. syn., in Neunzig and includes as a synonym [5914.5] Arcola malloi (Pastrana, 1961) in Hayden & Landry .
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Macrorrhinia endonephele. 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 Alligatorweed Stemborer - Hodges#5913 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Chuck Entz; Additional contributions by Bob Patterson , Steve Nanz , Randy Hardy , Blocky