LepidopteraGeometridae – Geometrid Moths

Phaeoura mexicanaria - Hodges#6766

Phaeoura mexicanaria

This record describes Phaeoura mexicanaria (species). Recorded family: Geometridae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Phaeoura mexicanaria - Hodges#6766 - Phaeoura mexicanaria — Contributed by Cotinis; Additional contributions by Randy Hardy , Steve Morris

Very large species with large, orange-brown patch above the forewing tornus and with a very deep bend into the cell by the AM line.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily: Geometroidea
Family: Geometridae (Geometrid Moths)
Subfamily: Ennominae
Tribe: Nacophorini
Genus: Phaeoura

Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.

Habitat and Range

Geographic Range

western United States

Seasonal Activity

June to August

Diet and Behavior

Life History

Larvae feed on Pinus species.

Additional species information

Species notes from the sources

Etymology: Author is Grote , 1883.

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Phaeoura mexicanaria. 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.

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