Zanclognatha new species - Hodges#8343.1
Zanclognatha n-sp
This record describes Zanclognatha n-sp (unresolved taxon). Recorded family: Erebidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
This appears to be a part of what Wagner & McCabe refer to as the Zanclognatha gypsalis-theralis-deceptricalis-inconspiculis complex. Note similarities to BOLD examples of minerals and theralis here .
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Noctuoidea
- Family
- Erebidae
- Subfamily
- Herminiinae
- Genus
- Zanclognatha
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Zanclognatha minoralis of authors ; not Smith, 1895 refers to specimens from southeastern US thought to be Z. minoralis Smith, 1895, a species removed from the list in Lafontaine & Schmidt (2010) because the identity of the type specimen could not be confirmed. Minoralis was described from two specimens without locality. Smith states, "Habitat - Long Island, New York (probably)... It is not impossible that this is a form of M. inconspicualis Grote..."
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Zanclognatha n-sp. 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 Zanclognatha new species - Hodges#8343.1 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by Maury J. Heiman; Additional contributions by Steve Nanz , JohnMaxwell22