Tuta absoluta

This record describes Tuta absoluta (species). Recorded family: Gelechiidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

This small moth is generally brown with scattered black and orange patches. Native to South America where it is a pest of tomato cultivation. In the UK it is currently rare but is expanding. Tomato cultivation, particularly in greenhouses.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Gelechiidae
Genus: Tuta

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

Habitat and Range

Habitat

Tomato cultivation, particularly in greenhouses.

Seasonal Activity

All year in heated greenhouses.

Additional species information

Recorded status

Uncommon but expanding

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Tuta absoluta. 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.

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