Phostria oajacalis - Hodges#5266
Phostria oajacalis
This record describes Phostria oajacalis (species). Recorded family: Crambidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Additional details | Male: Ochraceous, stout. |
| Body | Body beneath and legs white. Palpi fawn-colour, erect, not rising so high as the vertex; second joint fringed; third conical, about one-fourth of the length of the second. |
| Antennae | Antennae pubescent. |
| Abdomen | Abdomen lanceolate, extending much beyond the hind wings ; apical tuft of moderate size. |
| Legs | Legs cupreous-brown; tarsi and posterior tibiae white. |
| Wings | Wings long, rather broad, brown, with aeneous and purple reflections; a large white semihyaline black-bordered patch in the disk, much excavated in front ; fringe whitish. Fore wings acute; a white semihyaline black-bordered spot in the disk near the base; costa and interior border ochraceous; exterior border straight, very oblique. Type locality: Mexico, Oajaca |
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Pyraloidea
- Family
- Crambidae (Crambid Snout Moths)
- Subfamily
- Spilomelinae
- Tribe
- Agroterini
- Genus
- Phostria
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Phostria oajacalis (Walker, 1866) Botys oajacalis Walker, 1866 Botys pelialis C. Felder, R. Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Phostria oajacalis. 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 Phostria oajacalis - Hodges#5266 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Kyhl Austin