Pterophoridae Temporal range:
| |
---|---|
Pterophorus pentadactyla | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Superfamily: | Pterophoroidea |
Family: |
Pterophoridae Zeller, 1841 |
Type species | |
Pterophorus pentadactyla | |
Subfamilies | |
| |
Diversity | |
>90 genera >1,000 species |
The Pterophoridae or plume moths are a family of Lepidoptera with unusually modified wings, giving them the shape of a narrow winged airplane. 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".
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. This unorthodox structure does not prevent flight. [1] 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) [2] 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 West Indian lantana ( Lantana camara), Oidaematophorus beneficus against mistflower ( Ageratina riparia), Hellinsia balanotes against groundsel bush ( Baccharis halimifolia), [3] and Wheeleria spilodactylus against horehound ( Marrubium vulgare). [4]
A fossil species from the extant genus Merrifieldia is known from the Oligocene of France. [5] [6]
The small group of moths in the genus Agdistopis has often been treated as a subfamily Macropiratinae within the Pterophoridae, but recent research indicates that this group should be considered a separate family.
The family is divided into the following
subfamilies,
tribes and
genera,
[7] some
species are also listed:
Subfamily
Agdistinae
Subfamily Ochyroticinae
Subfamily Deuterocopinae Gielis, 1993
Subfamily Pterophorinae Zeller, 1841