Tegeticula intermedius - Hodges#0197.4
Tegeticula intermedius
This record describes Tegeticula intermedius (species). Recorded family: Prodoxidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
This species is one of the three Yucca moth species in eastern North American north of Florida, flying with T. yuccasella and Prodoxus decipiens . All three species can be found together in the same Yucca plants. Like P. decipiens , females of this species do not pollinate their host Yucca plants, do not collect pollen balls on their face, nor have long, coilable maxillary tentacles, as T. yuccasella females do, do, and have. Some specimens have a tan patch in the forewing discal area, rarely expanded onto a larger part of the wing, on an otherwise immaculate white forewing. Others lack the tan patches, making their wings indistinguishable from those of T. yuccasella and P. decipiens .
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Adeloidea
- Family
- Prodoxidae (Yucca Moths and Allies)
- Subfamily
- Prodoxinae
- Genus
- Tegeticula (Yucca moth)
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Tegeticula intermedius. 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.