Elegant Tailed Slug Moth - Hodges#4661
Packardia elegans
This record describes Packardia elegans (species). Recorded family: Limacodidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Adult : The forewings are peppery grey with indistinct white lines. ST line is marked with two black dots.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Zygaenoidea
- Family
- Limacodidae (Slug Caterpillar Moths)
- Genus
- Packardia
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
North-eastern Missouri to Quebec and Maine, south to north-eastern Georgia.
Diet and Behavior
Diet: Larvae feed on various woody plants, including beech, cherry and oak. Dyar reports "linden, witch-hazel, hop hornbeam, beech, maple, black birch, wild cherry, sour-gum, black oak, chestnut, hickory, and Leucothoe racemosa "
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Packardia elegans. 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 Elegant Tailed Slug Moth - Hodges#4661 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Dennis Profant; Additional contributions by Robin McLeod , Will Cook , Robert Lord Zimlich , marcie oconnor , Blocky
Frequently Asked Questions About Elegant Tailed Slug Moth - Hodges#4661
What is Elegant Tailed Slug Moth - Hodges#4661?
Elegant Tailed Slug Moth - Hodges#4661 (Packardia elegans) is a species in the family Limacodidae, within the order Lepidoptera.
How big is Elegant Tailed Slug Moth - Hodges#4661?
FWL: 10-12 mm
How do you identify Elegant Tailed Slug Moth - Hodges#4661?
Adult : The forewings are peppery grey with indistinct white lines. ST line is marked with two black dots.
Where is Elegant Tailed Slug Moth - Hodges#4661 found?
Range: North-eastern Missouri to Quebec and Maine, south to north-eastern Georgia.
What does Elegant Tailed Slug Moth - Hodges#4661 eat?
The diet of the Elegant Tailed Slug Moth - Hodges#4661 includes Larvae feed on various woody plants, including beech, cherry and oak. Dyar reports linden, witch-hazel, hop hornbeam, beech, maple, black birch, wild cherry, sour-gum, black oak, chestnut, hickory, and Leucothoe racemosa .