This species is known from a single specimen that was collected somewhere in Africa (all other known members of the genus occur there); it was described in 1793, originally as a skipper (Hesperidae).
The sole specimen was examined in 2018, when it was found not to be a skipper (Hesperiidae) at all but instead a member of a completely different family, the owlet moths (Noctuidae). [1]
The Lost Heraclia Moth has not been found for 229 years; it may well be lost forever.
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References:
[1] Alberto Zilli; Nick Grishin: Unveiling one of the rarest ‘butterflies’ ever (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae, Noctuidae). Systematic Entomology 44(2): 384-395. 2018
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Photo: The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London
Staudinger’s Owlet Moth was described in 1862, the species is known only from the coast of the Labrador peninsula, Canada
The species was never recorded since and may indeed be extinct, yet, apparently not many lepidopterologists have ever collected at Labrador’s coasts, so there is some chance that this species might still be extant.
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Depiction from: ‘George F. Hampson: Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British Museum. London: Printed by Order of the Trustees 1898-1919’
This species is the smallest member of its genus on the Hawai’i Islands and is known only on the basis of the type material, a single pair.
The species reached a wingspan of about 2,6 cm.
The host plant of its larvae is unknown.
The Kilauea Cutworm was scientifically described in the year 1899 and was, according to eyewitnesses, still commonly found on the hills of the Kilauea volcano in the year 1913, where the moths were seen flying in the morning sunshine over low vegetation. [1]
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References:
[1] E. C. Zimmerman: Insects of Hawaii 7, Macrolepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1958
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Photo from: ‘Matthew J. Medeiros; Jessica Kirkpatrick; Christine H. Elliott; Andersonn Prestes; Jesse Eiben; Daniel Rubinoff: Two new day-flying species of Agrotis Ochsenheimer (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from the alpine summit of Maunakea Volcano. Zootaxa 4545(2): 277-285. 2019’
The Poko Cutworm, so named for its native name Poko, was one of the moth species, that in the time after the arrival of European settlers on the Hawai’i Islands were able to adapt quite well to the new set of circumstances.
The species reached a wingspan of about 4,9 cm.
The natural host plants of the caterpillars were several native species of Ihi (Portulaca spp.) as well as ‘Ilima (Sida fallax Walp.), but in the meantime they also adapted themselves to introduced plant species and fed on the leaves of thorn-apple plants (Datura spp.) and sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum L.). Furthermore they fed on several garden plants, especially of the legume family, e.g. beans, and therefore may not have been very welcome to gardens.
In 1899, Hugo H. Schauinsland wrote the following notes about his observations of this species on the island of Laysan.:
“Of the insects I found on Laysan, only the following … Spaelotis crinigera Butl.; the latter occurred in astonishingly hugh numbers. Its “grublike caterpillar” lives under ground on the roots of Eragrostis.” [2]
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Even though the Poko Cutworm was distributed all over the Hawaiian main islands, it belongs to the extirpated species now, whereas the reasons for this seem still to be unknown up to date.
The species was last seen in 1926.
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References:
[1] E. C. Zimmerman: Insects of Hawaii 7, Macrolepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1958 [2] Hugo H. Schauinsland: Three months on a coral island (Laysan); translated by Miklos D. F. Udvardy. Atoll Research Bulletin 432. 1996
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Depiction from: ‘George F. Hampson: Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British Museum. London: Printed by Order of the Trustees 1898-1919’
This species was described in 1900 on the basis of two specimens that were collected on the island of Laysan in the northwestern part of the Hawaiian Islands chain. [1]
The species was never found since and is considered extinct.
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References:
[1] E. C. Zimmerman: Insects of Hawaii 7, Macrolepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1958
The Midway Cutworm was described in 1894, the species was endemic to the Midway Atoll in the northwestern part of the Hawaiian Islands chain. The moth reached a wingspan of about 4,7 cm.
There is nothing known about this owlet moth species, this applies also to the extinction date. [1]
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References:
[1] E. C. Zimmerman: Insects of Hawaii 7, Macrolepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1958
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Depiction from ‘Walter Rothschild: Some new species of Lepidoptera. Novitates Zoologicae 1: 535-540. 1894’
Kerr’s Cutworm was found on the islets of the so called French Frigate Shoals, far in the northwest of the Hawaiian Islands chain.
The species reached a wingspan of about 3,5 cm.
Not much is known about the habits of this species, the larvae were found on plants of Alena (Boerhavia tetrandra G. Forst.) and Ihi (Portulaca lutea Sol. ex G. Forst.).
The species was last seen in 1923 and is now considered extinct.
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References:
[1] E. C. Zimmerman: Insects of Hawaii 7, Macrolepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1958
This species inhabited the islands of Kaua’i and Maui, but very probably occurred on the other main islands as well. The form from Maui was originally described as a distinct species (Agrotis spoderopa Meyrick).
The Kauai Cutworm reached a wingspan of about 4 cm. [1]
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References:
[1] E. C. Zimmerman: Insects of Hawaii 7, Macrolepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1958
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Depiction from: ‘George F. Hampson: Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British Museum. London: Printed by Order of the Trustees 1898-1919’
The genus Agrotis contains about 90 species which are distributed almost all over the world. The Hawaiian Islands are (or were) home to about 26 species, some are found on all main islands while others are restricted to single islands, yet 11 of these species are considered extinct now.
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The Maui Cutworm is one of these extinct forms. This species is known from the islands of Maui and O’ahu, but very probably inhabited other islands as well.
The reasons for its extinction are unknown, the same applies to the exact extinction date.
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References:
[1] E. C. Zimmerman: Insects of Hawaii 7, Macrolepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1958 [2] F. G. Howarth; W. P. Mull: Hawaiian Insects and Their Kin. University of Hawaii Press 1992
The Olive-colored Owlet Moth is only known from eight specimens, some of which were collected in 1916 in Los Angeles and some a little later in Pasadena, California.
The species reached a wingspan of 3.9 cm.
As far as is known, the caterpillars fed on Large-leaved Ragwort (Senecio grandifolius Less.), but probably also on other species.
The species has not been recorded since the beginning of the 20th century and is believed to be probably extinct – but its name is apparently still incorrectly used for another, common species of the same genus, the real name of which is Autoplusia egenoides Franclemont & Todd.
The Hawaiian capsule owl was found on the islands of Hawai’i, Lana’i, Maui, Moloka’i and O’ahu and is considered extinct, the reasons for this are not known (to me).
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References:
[1] D. F Hardwick: The corn earworm complex. Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada 40: 1-247. 1965
The Dark-banded Flower Gem Moth was described in 1874, a somewhat enigmatic species being the sole member of its genus.
The biology of this species, including the larval host plant/plants, is completely unknown. It appears, however, to have been restricted to a certain type of prairie habitat which today is highly reduced.
The species was last recorded during the 1970s with some records from Canada, others from North Dakota, USA, it is classified as ‘Data Deficient’ but may in fact already be extinct.
