Protogygia polingi - Hodges#10896
Protogygia polingi
This record describes Protogygia polingi (species). Recorded family: Noctuidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Specimen determined by DNA analysis (BOLD). ( 3 )
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Noctuoidea
- Family
- Noctuidae (Owlet Moths)
- Subfamily
- Noctuinae
- Tribe
- Noctuini
- Genus
- Protogygia
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
California, Nevada, Arizona and Baja California. Paratypes ♂ & ♀ from Dixieland, Imperial County, California (March 1922).
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Named in honor of ornithologist and entomologist Otho C. Poling (1879-1929) of Quincy, Illinois. Poling collected throughout the mountains and deserts of the American southwest, including California, southern Arizona, New Mexico, west Texas and Utah in two distinct periods (1900-1906 and 1922-1929). Many of his specimens were described by William Barnes and he had fourteen species of moths named for him.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Protogygia polingi. 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 Protogygia polingi - Hodges#10896 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Maury J. Heiman; Additional contributions by Randy Hardy
Frequently Asked Questions About Protogygia polingi - Hodges#10896
What is Protogygia polingi - Hodges#10896?
Protogygia polingi - Hodges#10896 (Protogygia polingi) is a species in the family Noctuidae, within the order Lepidoptera.
How do you identify Protogygia polingi - Hodges#10896?
Specimen determined by DNA analysis (BOLD). ( 3 )
Where is Protogygia polingi - Hodges#10896 found?
Range: California, Nevada, Arizona and Baja California. Paratypes ♂ & ♀ from Dixieland, Imperial County, California (March 1922).