Genus Idia

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Food · Print References · Works Cited

Herminiinae, Litter Moth, Common Idia, pupa - Idia aemula

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Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Superfamily Noctuoidea (Owlet Moths and kin)

Family Erebidae

Subfamily Herminiinae (Litter Moths)

Genus Idia

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Idia Hübner, 1813. Synonyms:

Epizeuxis

Explanation of Names

Appears to be a variant of Greek idio "one's own, peculiar" (1). The Century Dictionary (2) gives this (Greek ιδιος) as the origin of the (obsolete) name for a fly genus Idia Meigen, 1826.

Numbers

18 species in North America north of Mexico (3)

Food

Most species are detritophagous: they eat dead organic matter on the ground or in the soil. Some eat fungus and/or lichens. One species, Idia gopheri, lives in abandoned burrows of the Gopher Tortoise and feeds on its droppings.

Print References

Borror, entry for idio (1)

The Century Dictionary, entry for Idia (fly genus) (2)

Works Cited

1.	Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms Donald J. Borror. 1960. Mayfield Publishing Company.

2.	The Century Dictionary: an encyclopedic lexicon of the English language

3.	Annotated check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America north of Mexico. Donald J. Lafontaine, B. Christian Schmidt. 2010. ZooKeys 40: 1–239 .

Contributed by Cotinis on 1 July, 2004 - 5:11am
Additional contributions by Chuck Entz
Last updated 22 April, 2012 - 8:29pm

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