| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the plume moths (Lepidoptera-Pterophoridae and Alucitidae) |
Formerly Oxyptilus
Adults. Face shortly tufted, or smooth (?). Labial palps ascending (the second segment with scales beneath). Wing-span 20–23 mm. Forewings conspicously cleft; 2-segmented; cleft from about the middle. The lower lobe expanded towards the apex. Forewings conspicuously patterned; dark reddish fuscous with a few dark scales, with two conspicous white bars on the segments, the cilia mixed with black scales and barred whitish. The cilia mixed with black scales and barred whitish. The base of the fissure preceded by a whitish spot (this indistinct, as is another in the disc at about 1/3). Forewing venation exhibiting the cell apically truncated. Forewing vein 3 present (out of 4); 8 present; 9 present (out of 8). Forewing vein 10 present. Forewing vein 10 out of 8. Hindwings conspicuously cleft; 3-segmented; dark fuscous. Hindwings similarly coloured to the forewings to differently coloured from the forewings (less reddish). Hindwings with two large subapical black scale-teeth conspicuous in the dorsal cilia of the posterior segment, these separated by a white one, and with white scales along the dorsum of the lobe. The second lobe 3-veined. Hindwing vein 3 present (in the middle lobe).
Life history and botanical associations. Adults abroad June and July. Associated with herbs; Tenuinucelli; Lamiales.
Larvae and pupae. The larvae found September to December, January to May; hibernating (on the undersides of leaves); on Labiatae; Teucrium (T. scorodonia). Feeding exposed; on leaves.
Distribution and habitats. England. Confined to and local in England, where it is widely distributed in association with wood sage (apparently avoiding plants in hedgerows). British species: C. britanniodactyla.
Subfamily. Subfamily Platyptilinae.
Illustrations. • Capperia britanniodactyla (specimens): photo. PTEROPHORIDAE. Capperia britanniodactyla. Maer, Staffs., 24/6/1948. R.G. Warren. • Capperia britanniodactyla (specimen): photo. PTEROPHORIDAE. Capperia britanniodactyla. Maer, Staffs. 24/6/1948. R.G. Warren. • Capperia britanniodactyla, with Emmilina, Euleioptilus, Hellinsia, Marasmarcha, Oidaematophorus, Ovendenia, Oxyptilus and Stenoptilia: Leech, 1886. PTEROPHORIDAE. 1, Oxyptilus pilosellae. 2, Capperia britanniodactyla. 3, Oxyptilus parvidactylus. 4, Marasmarcha lunaedactyla. 5, Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla; 6, Stenoptilia zophodactylus; 7, Stenoptilia pterodactyla. 8, Oidaematophorus lithodactyla. 9, Emmelina monodactyla. 10, Ovendenia lienigianus. 11, Euleioptilus tephradactyla. 12, Hellinsia osteodactyla. Leech, 1886. • Amblyptilia, Agdistis, Capperia, Buckleria, Cnaemidophorus, Oxyptilus, Platyptilia: Beirne, 1952. PTEROPHORIDAE. 1, Agdistis meridionalis; 2, Agdistis bennetii. 3, Buckleria paludum. 4, Oxyptilus distans; 5, Oxyptilus pilosellae; 6, Oxyptilus parvidactylus. 7, Capperia britanniodactyla. 8, Cnaemidophorus rhododactyla. 9, Amblyptilia punctidactyla; 10, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla. 11, Platyptilia tesseradactyla; 12, Platyptilia calodactyla. From Beirne (1952), all represented to the same scale. • Capperia britanniodactyla, details: Beirne, 1952. • Capperia britanniodactyla: 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’.
