Theroa zethus - Hodges#8000
Theroa zethus
This record describes Theroa zethus (species). Recorded family: Notodontidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Noctuoidea
- Family
- Notodontidae (Prominent Moths)
- Subfamily
- Heterocampinae
- Genus
- Theroa
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Southern Arizona and southern New Mexico. Moth Photographers Group - large range map with collection dates.
Diet and Behavior
Diet: Larvae feed on euphorbs, often girdling host stems and petioles. Known hosts include flowering spurge ( Euphorbia corollata ) and spotted sandmat ( Chamaesyce maculata ) (Ganong, Dussourd & Swanson, 2012).
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Zethus is a character from ancient Greek mythology. In Ovid's "Metamorphoses" Amphion and Zethus were the twin sons of Zeus by Antiope. They are important characters in the founding myths of the city of Thebes, named for the wife of Zethus. Hübner previously named a genus of Sphinx Moths for Amphion and Zethus is a genus of wasps described by Fabricius.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Theroa zethus. 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 Theroa zethus - Hodges#8000 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Charley Eiseman; Additional contributions by Maury Heiman , Randy Hardy