Interesting Facts
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 756 meters (0 to 2,480 feet).[2]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Protostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
()
- A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. 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
(
Similar Species
Members of the genus Heliothis
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 11 species and subspecies in this genus:
H. acesias (Heliothis Acesias) · H. maritima (Shoulder-Striped Clover) · H. ononis (Flax Bollworm) · H. oregonica (Heliothis Oregonica) · H. peltigera (Bordered Straw) · H. phloxiphagus (Darker Spotted Straw Moth) · H. subflexa (Subflexus Straw) · H. subflexus (Subflexus Straw) · H. turbatus (Spotted Straw) · H. virescens (Tobacco Budworm) · H. zea (Corn Earworm Moth)
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
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 16, 2012.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 18, 2008:
- Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Entomology: Australian National Insect Collection
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 6048841
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 17414443
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 2034735
Footnotes
- http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=34&sci=Noctuidae&com=Owlet Moths, Miller Moths [back]
- Mean = 264.170 meters (866.699 feet), Standard Deviation = 206.990 based on 874 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
