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| Insects of Britain and Ireland: the plume moths (Lepidoptera-Pterophoridae and Alucitidae) |
Formerly Leioptilus
Adults. Face smooth. Labial palps ascending. Tibiae simple. Wing-span 15–17 mm. Forewings conspicously cleft; 2-segmented; cleft from about the middle (from before 2/3). The lower lobe tapering distally or more or less parallel-sided. Forewings relatively plain (with dark markings); yellowish-whitish, sprinkled blackish, a dot in the disc at 1/3, a blackish mark at the base of the fissure and one on the costa beyond the fissure, a less distinct one towards the apex, and some indistinct dots on the margins of the segments. The base of the fissure preceded by a single dark spot or mark. Forewing venation exhibiting the cell produced into points. Forewing vein 3 present (connate or stalked with 4); 8 present (stalked with 10); 9 absent. Forewing vein 10 present. Forewing vein 10 out of 8. Forewing venation summary: 3 and 4 connate or stalked. Hindwings conspicuously cleft; 3-segmented; grey. Hindwings differently coloured from the forewings. Hindwings without large black scale-teeth in the the posterior segment. The second lobe 2-veined veins. Hindwing vein 3 absent.
Life history and botanical associations. Adults abroad May to June, August (double brooded). Associated with herbs; Tenuinucelli; Asterales.
Larvae and pupae. The larvae found January to December; hibernating; on Compositae; Eupatorium. Feeding concealed; in stems (mining in axils of the inflorescence, producing a gall, causing the capitula to droop).
Distribution and habitats. England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Common in southern England, local in Wales, northern England and southern Scotland and the West of Ireland; in damp places where the host plant grows. British species: A. microdactyla.
Subfamily. Subfamily Pterophorinae.
Illustrations. • Adaina microdactyla: Hubner, 1813. • Adaina microdactyla, with Alucita, Buckleria, Merrifieldia, Platyptilia, Pselnophorus and Pterophorus: Leech, 1886. PTEROPHORIDAE. 1, Adaina microdactyla. 2, Pselnophorus heterodactyla. 3, Pterophorus galactodactyla; 4, Pterophorus spilodactyla; 5, Merrifieldia baliodactylus. 6, Platyptilia (Gillmeria) ochrodactyla. 7, Pterophorus pentadactyla. 8, Buckleria paludum. ALUCITIDAE. 9, Alucita hexadactyla. Leech, 1896. • Adaina microdactyla, Alucita, Emmelina, Euleioptilus, Hellinsia, Oidaematophorus, Ovendenia, Pselnophorus, Pterophorus. PTEROPHORIDAE. 1, Pterophorus pentadactyla; 2, Pterophorus galactodactyla; 3, Pterophorus spilodactylus. 4, Pselnophorus heterodactyla. 5, Adaina microdactyla. 6, Ovendenia lienigienus. 7, Euleioptilus carphodactylus; 9, Euleioptilus tephradactyla. 8, Hellinsia osteodactylus. 10, Oidaematophorus lithodactyla. 11, Emmelina monodactyla. ALUCITIDAE. 12, Alucita hexadactyla. From Beirne (1952), all depicted at the same scale. • Adaina microdactyla: Barrett, 1907. Adaina microdactyla. First (2a and 2b) and second (2) brood. Barrett (1907).
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. Insects of Britain and Ireland: the plume moths (Lepidoptera-Pterophoridae and Alucitidae). Version: 14th April 2022. delta-intkey.com’.
