Description
Family Noctuidae
'The Noctuids are members
of the Superfamily
Noctuoidea. Worldwide in distribution, this family
is the largest in the Lepidoptera and has approximately 20,000 species. About 2,900 of these are found in North America, and there is wide variation
in appearance
and behavior. Most moths are gray to brown in color and have line
or spots on their wings. Some species are brightly colored
. They are small to large in size, and most species are medium-sized with wingspans 2 - 4.5 cm. When at rest, adults
of most species hold their wings above their bodies like a roof. Noctuids are typically nocturnal
, though some species are diurnal
. Most larvae feed
on plant foliage
, dead leaves, lichens, and fungi; many are serious forest
pests. Some species are leaf miners, others are stem- or leaf-borers, and still others feed at night on plant shoots. Noctuid moths pupate in cells
in soil, in plant cavities, or in silk
cocoons
.
'[1]
Habitat
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,500 meters (0 to 8,202 feet).[2]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Protostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
()
- Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
()
- Cuvier
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
()
- Latreille, 1829
- Arthropods
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
()
- Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
()
- Heymons, 1901
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
()
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
()
- Class:
Insecta
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- Insects
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
()
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
()
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
()
- Superorder:
Amphiesmenoptera
()
- Order:
Lepidoptera
()
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Butterflies and Moths
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
()
- Superfamily:
Noctuoidea
()
- Superfamily:
Noctuoidea
(
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
(
- Order:
Lepidoptera
(
- Superorder:
Amphiesmenoptera
(
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
(
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
(
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
(
- Class:
Insecta
(
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
(
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
(
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
(
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
(
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
(
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
(
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
(
- Branch:
Protostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Unambiguous Synonyms
- Cerastis rubricosa /i> (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
Notes
Name Status: Provisionally Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Beccaloni G.
Similar Species
Members of the genus Cerastis
There are approximately 35 species in this genus:
C. adulta · C. amicta · C. anchocelioides · C. arctica · C. catherina · C. clausa · C. cornuta (Cerastis Cornuta) · C. enigmatica (Cerastis Enigmatica) · C. faceta · C. fishii (Cerastis Fishii) · C. grisea · C. juncta · C. lata · C. lepetitii · C. leucographa · C. livida · C. manifestolabes · C. mista · C. mucida · C. nigrescens · C. obsoleta · C. orientalia · C. pallescens · C. pallida · C. pilicornis · C. rubricosa · C. rufa · C. rufomedialis · C. salicarum (Cerastis Salicarum) · C. semiconfluens · C. suffusa · C. tenebrifera (Reddish Speckled Dart) · C. umbrata · C. variicollis · C. violetta
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde: eine systematische Bearbeitung der bis jetzt bekannten Gross-Schmetterlinge / von Professor Dr. Adalbert Seitz. Stuttgart: Alfred Kernen, 1909- GER url p. 60.
Notes
Contributors
- Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Orrell TM, Nicolson D, Paglinawan LE, Bailly N, Kirk PM, Bourgoin T, van Hertum J, eds (2008). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist Taxonomic Classification. CD-ROM; Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 16, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 8 providers.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 16, 2008:
- Biologiezentrum der Oberoesterreichischen Landesmuseen, Biologiezentrum Linz
- University of Helsinki, Department of Applied Biology, European Moth Nights
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2977335
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-252066.0
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13275671
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1654837
Footnotes
- http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=34&sci=Noctuidae&com=Owlet Moths, Miller Moths [back]
- Mean = 880.870 meters (2,889.993 feet), Standard Deviation = 986.580 based on 1,880 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
