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Research dossier · Science & Nature

Idia scobialis

species of insect

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
Science and natureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMar 30, 2026
Entity authorityQ5988702 ↗
Source-derived summary

Idia scobialis, the smoky idia, is a species of litter moth in the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1880. It is found in North America from Michigan, southern Quebec and Maine, south to Florida and at least Kentucky.

The wingspan is about 20 mm. There is one generation per year.

Larvae feed on detritus, including dead leaves.

References

Wagner, David L.; Schweitzer, Dale F.; Sullivan, J. Bolling & Reardon, Richard C. (2011). Owlet Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691150420.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Idia scobialis” is species of insect. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Idia, scobialis and species, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewUseful for establishing the present vocabulary of the subject while preserving a route back to the evidence on which that vocabulary rests. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1880, 2011—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, Idia, scobialis and species is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “species of insect” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5988702. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1880 and 2011.

Critical limits

Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Idia scobialis”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Idia scobialis primary sources, Idia scobialis archive and Idia research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Idia scobialis”?
  2. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
  3. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Idia scobialis” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.