Kerr's Noctuid Moth

Agrotis kerri (English common name: Kerr 's Noctuid Moth) is an extinct butterfly (moth ) from the family of cutworms ( Noctuidae ). He was French Frigate Shoals on the atoll endemic to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Features

Agrotis kerri reached a wingspan of 38 to 42 millimeters. Head and thorax were gray, the Patagia ( paired structure on the pronotum that covers the base of the front wing ) had a slightly brownish tint. The palpi were speckled dark on the outside. The sensors were gray, the legs pale gray. The tibiae and tarsi which were blacked out. The abdomen was light gray and wore a slightly yellowish Analbüschel. The front wing had a brownish ocher to gray-brown color. The hind wings of the male were light gray, the wing veins were a little drab. The hind wings of the female were pale gray-brown and towards the base a little brighter.

Geographical distribution, habitat and behavior

Agrotis kerri came exclusively on the French Frigate Shoals, an atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (USA ) ago. The atoll has a subtropical climate. In October 1914, a female and a male of two caterpillars were used, which were discovered on the host plant Boerhaavia tetrandra on the atoll. The caterpillars were fed with leaves of summer Portulaks ( Portulaca oleracea) and arrived on January 5, respectively January 14, 1915, the pupal stage. On 20 January and on February 8, 1915 hatched the adult butterflies. Further data on life are not known.

Extinction

The species was recently demonstrated in June 1923, when thirteen additional copies and two caterpillars were collected during the Tanager Expedition. 1986 Agrotis kerri was included in the IUCN Red List and in 1989 in the list of extinct insects of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The reasons for the extinction are not known.

Swell

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