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| Insects of Britain and Ireland: the plume moths (Lepidoptera-Pterophoridae and Alucitidae) |
Adults. Face smooth. Labial palps sub-ascending. Tibiae simple. Wing-span 17–24 mm (M. tridactyla), or 20–27 mm (M. baliodactylus). Forewings conspicously cleft; 2-segmented; cleft from about the middle. The lower lobe expanded towards the apex (though quite narrow). Forewings relatively plain; yellow-whitish, whitish-ochreous or pale yellowish-ochreous, the costal cilia not wholly whitish. The cilia fuscous, darker on the costa (M. tridactyla), or in both segments yellowish-white above and dark grey beneath (M. baliodactylus). The base of the fissure preceded not associated with noticeable marking. Forewing venation exhibiting the cell produced into points. Forewing vein 3 absent; 8 absent; 9 absent. Forewing vein 10 absent. Forewing venation summary: 11 near or out of 7 or absent. Hindwings conspicuously cleft; 3-segmented; grey, whitish or paler and ochreous-tinged towards the tips of the segments. Hindwings differently coloured from the forewings (darker). 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 June to August. Associated with herbs; Tenuinucelli; Lamiales.
Larvae and pupae. The larvae found May and June, September to December, January to April; hibernating (probably, in M. tridactyla), or not hibernating; on Labiatae; Origanum (M.leucodactyla and M. tridactyla), Origanum (M. baliodactylus). Feeding exposed; on young shoots.
Distribution and habitats. England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Frequenting hillsides and waste places over chalk and limesone; widely distributed locally over Britain and Ireland (M. tridactyla), or southern England to north Lancashire and Westmoreland but commoner in the south (M. baliodactylus). British species: M. baliodactylus, M. leucodactyla, M. tridactyla.
Subfamily. Subfamily Pterophorinae.
Illustrations. • Merrifieldia baliodactylus (specimens): photo. PTEROPHORIDAE. Merrifieldia baliodactylus. Dovedale, Staffs, 23/6/1957. L. Watson. • Merrifieldia baliodactylus (specimen): photo. PTEROPHORIDAE. Merrifieldia baliodactylus. Dovedale, Staffs., 23/6/1957. L. Watson. • Merrifieldia leucodactyla: Hübner, 1813. • Merrifieldia baliodactylus, with Adaina, Alucita, Buckleria, 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. • Merrifieldia baliodactylus and M. tridactyla: Beirne, 1952. • Marasmarcha, Merrifieldia, Platyptilia, Stenoptilia: Beirne, 1952. PTEROPHORIDAE. 1, Platyptilia gonodactyla; 2, Platyptilia isodactylus; 3, Platyptilia ochrodactyla; 4, Platyptilia pallidactyla. 5, Stenoptilia pneumonanthes; 6, Stenoptilia zophodactylus; 7, Stenoptilia millieridactyla; 8, Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla; 9, Stenoptilia pterodactyla. 10, Marasmarcha lunaedactyla. 11, Merrifieldia tridactyla; 12, Merrifieldia baliodactylus. From Beirne (1952), all depicted to the same scale. • Merrifieldia baliodactylus and M. leucodactyla: Barrett, 1907. PTEROPHORIDAE. 1, 1a and 1b, Merrifieldia leucodactyla. 3, 3a, 3b and 3c, Merrifielda baliodactylus. From Barrett, 1907. • neuration: Merrifieldia tetradactyla, Agdistis, Emmelina, Stenoptilia.
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’.
