Clouded Veneer - Hodges#5333
Prionapteryx nebulifera
This record describes Prionapteryx nebulifera (species). Recorded family: Crambidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
There is a published account of the caterpillars in the pine barrens of NJ living in underground retreats and building tubes of sand and silk up to the leaves of the host plants, which crawl through at night to feed. They are also said to produce a secretion fed on by ants, which protect them. They were found pupating in the same chambers.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Pyraloidea
- Family
- Crambidae (Crambid Snout Moths)
- Subfamily
- Crambinae
- Tribe
- Ancylolomiini
- Genus
- Prionapteryx
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Diet and Behavior
Diet: Reported on plants in the Heather Family (Ericaceae), including Sand Myrtle, Leiophyllum buxifolium, and Huckleberries (presumably Gaylussacia , but possibly Vaccinium ). Also, probably, Sand Cherry ( Prunus pumila )
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: nebulifera is from Latin nebula- "mist, fog, clouds" + fera- "bearing"
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Prionapteryx nebulifera. 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 Clouded Veneer - Hodges#5333 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by v belov; Additional contributions by Chuck Entz , marcie oconnor , Randy Hardy