LepidopteraCrambidae – Crambid Snout Moths

Sericoplaga externalis - Hodges#4991

Sericoplaga externalis

This record describes Sericoplaga externalis (species). Recorded family: Crambidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Sericoplaga externalis - Hodges#4991 - Sericoplaga externalis — Contributed by Jason D. Roberts; Additional contributions by Jay Greenberg , Kyhl Austin

Fore wings reddish ochreous, glossy, dusted with fuscous, the costa greyish at the base; lines dark grey, first line denticulated, oblique, approaching second on the inner margin, second line also denticulated, starting from the costa at two thirds, forming a large curve for the first half of the wing and running deep inwards along the first median nervule to below the reniform stigma, and thence obliquely to inner margin; a small dark spot in the cell beyond first line and a lunular mark at end of cell; fringe with basal third dark grey, apical two thirds silvery white. Hind wings like fore wings, with only the second line represented. Head, thorax, and abdomen concolorous with fore wings. Underside whitish, with only the outer line and base of fringes dark brownish. Type locality: USA, Texas

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily: Pyraloidea
Family: Crambidae (Crambid Snout Moths)
Subfamily: Pyraustinae
Tribe: Pyraustini
Genus: Sericoplaga

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

Diet and Behavior

Diet: Larvae feed on Osage orange, Maclura pomifera (See funet article on Sericoplaga ).

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Sericoplaga externalis. 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.

Explore Lepidoptera families and species →