Laysan Noctuid Moth
Encyclopedia
The Laysan Noctuid Moth (Agrotis laysanensis) was a species of moth
in the Noctuidae
family. This species is now extinct.
It was endemic to Laysan Island
, one of the Outlying Hawaiian Islands
, United States
.
This moth was one, if not the main species, eaten by the likewise extinct Laysan Millerbird
. Agrotis
moths are commonly known as "millers", and the bird was named after its favorite food.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
in the Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
family. This species is now extinct.
It was endemic to Laysan Island
Laysan
Laysan , located northwest of Honolulu at N25° 42' 14" W171° 44' 04", is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It comprises one land mass of , about 1 by 1.5 miles in size . It is an atoll of sorts, although the land completely surrounds a shallow central lake some above sea level that has...
, one of the Outlying Hawaiian Islands
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small islands and atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest of the islands of Kauai and Niihau. They are administered by the U.S. state of Hawaii except Midway Atoll, which has temporary residential facilities and is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
This moth was one, if not the main species, eaten by the likewise extinct Laysan Millerbird
Laysan Millerbird
The Laysan Millerbird was a subspecies of the Millerbird, similar in appearance to the remaining subspecies, the Nihoa Millerbird. Its dorsal side was brown, and its belly was grayish...
. Agrotis
Agrotis
Agrotis is a genus of moths of the Noctuidae family. A number of the species of this genus are extinct.Many of the species are of great importance as cutworms, major agricutural pests whose larvae hide by day and emerge at night to feed. The name cutworm refers to the habit of the larvae, of...
moths are commonly known as "millers", and the bird was named after its favorite food.
Source
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. Agrotis laysanensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 31 July 2007.
- Lepidoptera of the Outlying Hawaiian Islands
- Atoll Research Bulletin - Specimens collected on Laysan Island