Alucita hexadactyla

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Twenty-plume moth
Alucita hexadactyla01.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Alucitidae
Genus: Alucita
Species:
A. hexadactyla
Binomial name
Alucita hexadactyla
Synonyms
List
    • Orneodes hexadactyla(Linnaeus, 1758)
    • Phalaena hexadactylaLinnaeus, 1758
    • Phalaena (Alucita) hexadactylaLinnaeus, 1758
    • Alucita poecilodactylaStephens, 1835
    • Alucita polydactylaHubner, 1813

Alucita hexadactyla (twenty-plume moth) is a "micromoth" of the many-plumed moth family (Alucitidae). It is found in Eurasia. It was previously thought to also occur in North America, but a 2004 study showed that the North American species are distinct and separate.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Description

Feeding signs of a larva Alucita hexadactyla mine.jpg
Feeding signs of a larva
Figs. 10 larva after final moult, 10a pupa Buckler W The larvae of the British butterflies and moths Plate CLXIV.jpg
Figs. 10 larva after final moult, 10a pupa

The wingspan is 14–16 mm. Unlike a typical moth, which has two pairs of scaly wings, Alucita has about twenty thin feathery plumes (with scales on the supporting ribs). It perches with the wings outspread like a fan. The wings have a bold zigzag pattern in white, black and brown, which together with the shiny backward-pointing hairs on each plume make the adult moth distinctive. It is also popularly known as the many-plumed moth, while the specific name hexadactyla comes from the Greek for six-fingered. [2] [3] Single brooded, it can be found at any time of the year. [4] It is common and often found in gardens, but is readily overlooked because of its small size.

The larvae feed on honeysuckle (Lonicera species) tunnelling in the flower buds and leaves. Holes and darkening of the buds indicate larval feeding. There is disagreement as to whether the larvae are leaf miners or gall causers. [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lepidoptera</span> Order of insects including moths and butterflies

Lepidoptera or lepidopterans is an order of winged insects that includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organisms, making it the second largest insect order with 126 families and 46 superfamilies, and one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world.

<i>Fraxinus excelsior</i> Species of deciduous tree in the family Oleaceae

Fraxinus excelsior, known as the ash, or European ash or common ash to distinguish it from other types of ash, is a flowering plant species in the olive family Oleaceae. It is native throughout mainland Europe east to the Caucasus and Alborz mountains, and Great Britain and Ireland, the latter determining its western boundary. The northernmost location is in the Trondheimsfjord region of Norway. The species is widely cultivated and reportedly naturalised in New Zealand and in scattered locales in the United States and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Many-plumed moth</span> Family of moths

The Alucitidae or many-plumed moths are a family of moths with unusually modified wings. Both fore- and hind-wings consist of about six rigid spines, from which radiate flexible bristles creating a structure similar to a bird's feather.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pterophoridae</span> Moth family containing the plume moths

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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tortricidae</span> Family of tortrix moths

The Tortricidae are a family of moths, commonly known as tortrix moths or leafroller moths, in the order Lepidoptera. This large family has over 11,000 species described, and is the sole member of the superfamily Tortricoidea, although the genus Heliocosma is sometimes placed within this superfamily. Many of these are economically important pests. Olethreutidae is a junior synonym. The typical resting posture is with the wings folded back, producing a rather rounded profile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microlepidoptera</span> Grouping of moths

Microlepidoptera (micromoths) is an artificial grouping of moth families, commonly known as the "smaller moths". These generally have wingspans of under 20 mm, so are harder to identify by external phenotypic markings than macrolepidoptera. They present some lifestyles that the larger Lepidoptera do not have, but this is not an identifying mark. Some hobbyists further divide this group into separate groups, such as leaf miners or rollers, stem or root borers, and then usually follow the more rigorous scientific taxonomy of lepidopterans. Efforts to stabilize the term have usually proven inadequate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alucitoidea</span> Superfamily of moths

Aluctoidea is the superfamily of many-plumed and false plume moths. These small moths are most easily recognized by their wings. These each consist of many narrow strips of membrane around the major veins, instead of a continuous sheet of membrane between the veins. In living moths in the wild, this is often hard to see however. When they are at rest, the "plumes" partly overlap, appearing as solid wings. But even then, they can be recognized by the wings having a marked lengthwise pattern and uneven edge.

<i>Pterophorus pentadactyla</i> Species of moth

Pterophorus pentadactyla, commonly known as the white plume moth, is a moth in the family Pterophoridae. It is found in the West Palearctic including North Africa and Europe. The wingspan is 26–34 mm (1.0–1.3 in). It is uniformly white, with the hind wing pair divided in three feathery plumes and the front pair in another two. The moths fly from June to August. The larvae feed on bindweed.

The Tineodidae or false plume moths are a family of moths with in some cases unusually modified wings: Like in some related moths, the wings of several Tineodidae are decomposed into several rigid spines. This is a small family, with about a global total of 20 species described to date; some undescribed species are known or suspected to exist however. They seem to be of Australian origin, where they are most diverse, but range through the Wallacea to Southeast and South Asia, and into the Pacific to the Marquesas Islands.

<i>Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla</i> Species of plume moth

Stenoptilia bipunctidactyla, also known as the twin-spot plume is a moth of the Pterophoroidea family found in North Africa, Asia and Europe. It was first described by the Austrian physician and naturalist, Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1763. It is one of four similar looking moths.

<i>Alucita phricodes</i> Species of many-plumed moth in genus Alucita

Alucita phricodes is a species of moth of the family Alucitidae. It is found from the Atherton Tableland in Queensland to Batemans Bay in New South Wales.

<i>Coleophora caespititiella</i> Species of moth

Coleophora caespititiella is a moth of the family Coleophoridae. This species is found throughout the United Kingdom and most of Europe. It is also known from North America. The Coleophoridae group are often collectively known as the case moths or case-bearers.

<i>Platyptilia tesseradactyla</i> Species of plume moth

Platyptilia tesseradactyla is a moth of the family Pterophoridae found in the Palearctic, and North America. It was first described by the Swedish taxonomist, Carl Linnaeus in 1761.

<i>Crombrugghia distans</i> Species of plume moth

Crombrugghia distans, also known as the Breckland plume is a moth of the family Pterophoridae found in Africa, Asia and Europe. It was first described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1847.

<i>Alucita</i> Largest genus of the many-plumed moths (Alucitidae)

Alucita is the largest genus of many-plumed moths ; it is also the type genus of its family and the disputed superfamily Alucitoidea. This genus occurs almost worldwide and contains about 180 species as of 2011; new species are still being described and discovered regularly. Formerly, many similar moths of superfamilies Alucitoidea, Copromorphoidea and Pterophoroidea were also placed in Alucita.

<i>Pterophorus innotatalis</i> Species of plume moth, endemic to New Zealand

Pterophorus innotatalis is a moth of the family Pterophoridae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been found in the North, South and Ruapuke Islands. Adults of this species have been recorded as being on the wing from October to March as well as in August and prefers to inhabit grass or fern covered hills. The larvae are leaf miners and feed on Dichondra species, including Dichondra brevifolia and Dichondra repens.

Alucita anticoma is a moth in the family Alucitidae. It is found in New Guinea.

<i>Alucita huebneri</i> Species of many-plumed moth in genus Alucita

Alucita huebneri is a moth of the family Alucitidae. It is found in most of Europe, except Ireland, Great Britain, the Benelux, Fennoscandia, Latvia, the Baltic region, Ukraine and Slovenia. The habitat consists of mesotrophic meadows, colline and montane hay meadows on altitudes between 200 and 400 metres.

Alucita adriendenisi is a moth of the family Alucitidae. It was described by Bernard Landry and Jean-François Landry in 2004. It is found in North America from New York west across Canada with disjunct populations in western Texas and Arizona.

<i>Alucita montana</i> Species of many-plumed moth in genus Alucita

Alucita montana, the Montana six-plume moth, is a moth of the family Alucitidae. It was described by William Barnes and Arthur Ward Lindsey in 1921. It is found in North America from south-western Quebec and Vermont, west to British Columbia and south to Arizona, California and Texas.

References

  1. "Alucita hexadactyla". Fauna Europaea. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  2. Chinery, Michael (2005). Collins Complete Guide to British Insects. London: HarperCollins. p. 270. ISBN   978-0-00-729899-0.
  3. "Twenty-plume Moth (Alucita hexadactyla)". Photography Obsession. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  4. Stirling, Phil; Parsons, Mark; Lewington, Richard (2012). Field Guide to the Micro Moths of Great Britain and Ireland. Gillingham, Dorset: British Wildlife. p. 186. ISBN   978-0-9564902-1-6.
  5. Ellis, W N. "Alucita hexadactyla Linnaeus, 1758 many-plume moth". Plant Parasites of Europe. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  6. Redfern, Margaret; Shirley, Peter; Bloxham, Michael (2011). British Plant Galls (Second ed.). Preston Montford: Field Study Council. p. 157. ISBN   978-1-85153-284-1.

[1]



  1. Landry, B., & Landry, J. (2004). The genus Alucita in North America, with description of two new species (Lepidoptera: Alucitidae). The Canadian Entomologist, 136(4), 553-579. doi:10.4039/n03-095