Myelopsis minutulella - Hodges#5719
Myelopsis minutulella
This record describes Myelopsis minutulella (species). Recorded family: Pyralidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
A fairly large (9 - 11 mm) Phycitine with an overall silvery gray aspect and oblique AM and PM lines on the forewings. Distinguished by the presence of small buffy patches at the inner base of the forewings; the very similar congener Myelopsis alatella lacks these patches. Specimen identified by DNA analysis (BOLD) from Libby & Rick Avis
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Pyraloidea
- Family
- Pyralidae (Pyralid Moths)
- Subfamily
- Phycitinae
- Tribe
- Phycitini
- Genus
- Myelopsis
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Myelopsis minutulella (Hulst, 1887) is restored as the valid name. This species was erroneously listed in the Hodges 1983 Checklist as "5719 minutularia (Hulst, 1887)" with " minutulella (Hulst, 1890)" as a synonym. Originally described as " minutularia " the spelling was changed to " minutulella " on the corrections page of same work.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Myelopsis minutulella. 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 Myelopsis minutulella - Hodges#5719 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by v belov; Additional contributions by Steve Nanz , Robert Lord Zimlich , Chuck Sexton