Many-banded Daggerwing - Hodges#4549
Marpesia chiron
This record describes Marpesia chiron (species). Recorded family: Nymphalidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
multiple reports of large numbers of individuals, all travelling in one direction, reported from multiple countries from Mexico to S. Amer.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Papilionoidea
- Family
- Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
- Subfamily
- Cyrestinae
- Genus
- Marpesia (Daggerwings)
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Rare stray to s. TX, very rare to Florida / Mex. / W. Indies - Map - (MPG)
Diet and Behavior
Diet: Larvae host on plants in the fig family (Moraceae).
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Marpesia chiron. 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 Many-banded Daggerwing - Hodges#4549 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Joshua Stuart Rose; Additional contributions by Mike Quinn , David Ferguson
Frequently Asked Questions About Many-banded Daggerwing - Hodges#4549
What is Many-banded Daggerwing - Hodges#4549?
Many-banded Daggerwing - Hodges#4549 (Marpesia chiron) is a species in the family Nymphalidae, within the order Lepidoptera.
Where is Many-banded Daggerwing - Hodges#4549 found?
Range: Rare stray to s. TX, very rare to Florida / Mex. / W. Indies - Map - (MPG)
What does Many-banded Daggerwing - Hodges#4549 eat?
The diet of the Many-banded Daggerwing - Hodges#4549 includes Larvae host on plants in the fig family (Moraceae)..