Monopis marginistrigella - Hodges#0417
Monopis marginistrigella
This record describes Monopis marginistrigella (species). Recorded family: Tineidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Additional details | Adult: forewing dark gray to blackish, speckled with white or pale yellow, especially in diffuse patches mid-way along costa and along inner margin near anal angle; top of head yellow; top of thorax completely dark; hindwing uniformly brown or gray with wide fringe Head: Yellowish-white. Palpi yellowish white, long, folded; underside brown, scaly. Antenna: Dark brown, paler on underside. Segment 1 dark brown. |
| Thorax | Thorax: Dark brown, some yellowish on sides. |
| Wings | Wings: Dark brown; some white scaling or flecks at base. White lines jutting inward along costal edge. Heavy white patch on inner edge near wing tip. Typical semi-hyaline circle at mid wing more brownish than white, with heavier white scaling below. Fringe at costal wing tip alternating brown and white. Fringe at inner margin wing tip long (anal angle), mostly white with a brown streak through middle of fringe. |
| Hindwings | Hindwings gray-white, tips darker. Fringe grayish. |
| Legs | Legs: Alternate white and brown spotted. |
| Abdomen | Abdomen: Top brown mixed with gray. Underside silvery yellowish-white. Similar Species: Monopis laevigella has uniform white flecking throughout wings. Semi-transparent spot at wing center is more whitish. Monopis weaverella has evenly colored yellowish fringe along inner margin at wing tip. Types: Syntype as Tinea marginistrigella by Chambers, 1873 #14950. Locality: Kentucky. In Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass. Specimen in very poor condition, glued to a point with only the head, prothorax, and right forewing. No other syntypes known. Syntype as Monopis irrorella by Dietz, 1905. #2872. Locality: Pennsylvania. In Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass. Syntypes also in Los Angeles County Museum (1 male and 1 female) and 2 males in United States National Museum. |
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Tineoidea
- Family
- Tineidae (Clothes Moths)
- Subfamily
- Tineinae
- Genus
- Monopis
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Eastern half of U.S. Ontario & New Brunswick
Seasonal Activity
May to September.
Diet and Behavior
Diet: Debris, fungus, rotting vegetation.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Monopis marginistrigella. 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 Monopis marginistrigella - Hodges#0417 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Robin McLeod; Additional contributions by Robert Lord Zimlich , lee_penner
Frequently Asked Questions About Monopis marginistrigella - Hodges#0417
What is Monopis marginistrigella - Hodges#0417?
Monopis marginistrigella - Hodges#0417 (Monopis marginistrigella) is a species in the family Tineidae, within the order Lepidoptera.
How big is Monopis marginistrigella - Hodges#0417?
9 mm long. Wingspan 11-12 mm, based on photos by Jim Vargo at MPG
How do you identify Monopis marginistrigella - Hodges#0417?
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Additional details | Adult: forewing dark gray to blackish, speckled with white or pale yellow, especially in diffuse patches mid-way along costa and along inner margin near anal angle; top of head yellow; top of thorax completely dark; hindwing uniformly brown or gray with wide fringe Head: Yellowish-white. Palpi yellowish white, long, folded; underside brown, scaly. Antenna: Dark brown, paler on underside. Segment 1 dark brown. |
| Thorax | Thorax: Dark brown, some yellowish on sides. |
| Wings | Wings: Dark brown; some white scaling or flecks at base. White lines jutting inward along costal edge. Heavy white patch on inner edge near wing tip. Typical semi-hyaline circle at mid wing more brownish than white, with heavier white scaling below. Fringe at costal wing tip alternating brown and white. Fringe at inner margin wing tip long (anal angle), mostly white with a brown streak through middle of fringe. |
| Hindwings | Hindwings gray-white, tips darker. Fringe grayish. |
| Legs | Legs: Alternate white and brown spotted. |
| Abdomen | Abdomen: Top brown mixed with gray. Underside silvery yellowish-white. Similar Species: Monopis laevigella has uniform white flecking throughout wings. Semi-transparent spot at wing center is more whitish. Monopis weaverella has evenly colored yellowish fringe along inner margin at wing tip. |
Where is Monopis marginistrigella - Hodges#0417 found?
Range: Eastern half of U.S. Ontario & New Brunswick
What does Monopis marginistrigella - Hodges#0417 eat?
The diet of the Monopis marginistrigella - Hodges#0417 includes Debris, fungus, rotting vegetation..
When is Monopis marginistrigella - Hodges#0417 active?
Monopis marginistrigella - Hodges#0417: seasonal activity - May to September..