| Plume moths | ||||||||||||||||
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 Wheeleria spilodactylus
(Pterophorinae: Pterophorini) |
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
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| Type species | ||||||||||||||||
| Pterophorus pentadactyla Linnaeus, 1758 |
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| Subfamilies | ||||||||||||||||
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Agdistinae |
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| Diversity | ||||||||||||||||
| >90 genera >1,000 species |
The Pterophoridae or plume moths are a family of Lepidoptera with unusually modified wings. Though they belong to the Apoditrysia like the larger moths and the butterflies, unlike these they are tiny and were formerly included among the assemblage called "Microlepidoptera".
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Description and ecology
The forewings of plume moths usually consist of two curved spars with more or less bedraggled bristles trailing behind. This resembles the closely related Alucitidae (many-plumed moths) at first glance, but the latter have a greater number of symmetrical plumes. The hindwings are similarly constructed, but have three spars. A few genera have normal lepidopteran wings.
The usual resting posture is with the wings extended laterally and narrowly rolled up. Often they resemble a piece of dried grass, and may pass unnoticed by potential predators even when resting in exposed situations in daylight. Some species have larvae which are stem- or root-borers while others are leaf-browsers.
Economically important pterophorids include the Artichoke Plume Moth (Platyptilia carduidactyla), an Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) pest in California, while the Geranium Plume Moth (Platyptilia pica)[1] and the Snapdragon Plume Moth (Stenoptilodes antirrhina) can cause damage to the ornamental plants Garden Geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum) and Common Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), respectively. Other plume moths have been used as biological control agents against invasive plant species – Lantanophaga pusillidactyla against the shrub verbena Lantana camara, and Oidaematophorus beneficus against Mistflower (Eupatorium riparium).
Selected taxa
Notable genera and species, listed per subfamily and tribe, are:
Subfamily Agdistinae
- Genus Agdistis Hübner, 1825
Subfamily Ochyroticinae
- Genus Ochyrotica
Subfamily Pterophorinae
- Tribe Exelastini
- Genus Exelastis
- Tribe Oidaematophorini
- Genus Hellinsia Tutt, 1905
- Genus Oidaematophorus Wallengren, 1862
- Genus Pselnophorus Wallengren, 1881
- Tribe Oxyptilini
- Genus Buckleria Tutt, 1905
- Genus Eucapperia
- Genus Stangeia Tutt, 1905
- Tribe Platyptilini
- Genus Amblyptilia Hübner, 1825
- Genus Cnaemidophorus Wallengren, 1862
- Genus Gillmeria Tutt, 1905
- Genus Lantanophaga Zimmermann, 1958
- Genus Platyptilia Hübner, 1825
Platyptilia falcatalis
(Pterophorinae: Platyptilini) - Genus Sinpunctiptilia
- Genus Stenoptilia Hübner, 1825
- Genus Stenoptilodes Zimmermann, 1958
- Tribe Pterophorini
- Genus Cosmoclostis
- Genus Imbophorus
- Genus Pterophorus Geoffroy, 1762
- Genus Wheeleria Tutt, 1905
- Incertae sedis
- Genus Emmelina Tutt, 1905
- Genus Megalorrhipida Amsel, 1935 (Oxyptilini? Platyptilini?)
Footnotes
- ^ MDA (1980)
References
- Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) (1980): Geranium Plume Moth Quarantine. PDF fulltext
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pterophoridae |
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