Megalographa biloba
Encyclopedia
Stephen's Gem or the Bilobed Looper (Megalographa biloba) is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is widely distributed from the southern parts of the United States
, south through Central America
and South America
up to Argentina
. As a seasonal migrant
it occurs even farther north into the northern parts of the United States and southern Canada
. Here it usually produces one or two generations each summer, but rarely survives the winter this far north. It also occurs in the Hawaii
an Islands but it is unknown if the species occurs there naturally or was introduced. It has also been recorded in Great Britain
, where it is either a rare migrant or introduced by travel on ships crossing the Atlantic.
The wingspan
is 38-44 mm.
It is sometimes considered a pest on cultivated lettuce
.
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...
of 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. It is widely distributed from the southern parts of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, south through Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
up to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. As a seasonal migrant
Lepidoptera migration
Lepidoptera migration is a biological phenomenon whereby populations of butterflies or moths migrate over long distances to areas where they cannot settle for long periods of time...
it occurs even farther north into the northern parts of the United States and southern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Here it usually produces one or two generations each summer, but rarely survives the winter this far north. It also occurs in the Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an Islands but it is unknown if the species occurs there naturally or was introduced. It has also been recorded in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, where it is either a rare migrant or introduced by travel on ships crossing the Atlantic.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 38-44 mm.
It is sometimes considered a pest on cultivated lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
.