Merrifieldia tridactyla | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Pterophoridae |
Genus: | Merrifieldia |
Species: | M. tridactyla |
Binomial name | |
Merrifieldia tridactyla | |
Synonyms | |
List
|
Merrifieldia tridactyla, also known as the western thyme plume, is a moth of the family Pterophoridae, first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 10th edition of Systema Naturae in 1758. It is known from most of Europe, as well as North Africa and Asia Minor. [1]
The wingspan is 18–23 millimetres (0.71–0.91 in). It is very similar to Merrifieldia leucodactyla Certain identification requires examination of the genitalia. [2]
Adults are on wing from June to July in western Europe.
The larvae feed on Thymus species, including Breckland thyme ( Thymus serpyllum ) and common thyme ( Thymus vulgaris ), and mint ( Mentha species) in Europe. In Saudi Arabia, larvae have been recorded feeding on the fruits of Cucurbita moschata .
Cucurbita is a genus of herbaceous fruits in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, native to the Andes and Mesoamerica. Five edible species are grown and consumed for their flesh and seeds. They are variously known as squash, pumpkin, or gourd, depending on species, variety, and local parlance. Other kinds of gourd, also called bottle-gourds, are native to Africa and belong to the genus Lagenaria, which is in the same family and subfamily as Cucurbita, but in a different tribe, their young fruits are eaten much like those of the Cucurbita species.
The cinnabar moth is a brightly coloured arctiid moth found as a native species in Europe and western and central Asia then east across the Palearctic to Siberia to China. It has been introduced into New Zealand, Australia and North America to control ragwort, on which its larvae feed. The moth is named after the red mineral cinnabar because of the red patches on its predominantly black wings. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Cinnabar moths are about 20 mm (0.79 in) long and have a wingspan of 32–42 mm (1.3–1.7 in).
The genus Thymus contains about 350 species of aromatic perennial herbaceous plants and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World.
Thymus serpyllum, known by the common names of Breckland thyme, Breckland wild thyme, wild thyme, creeping thyme, or elfin thyme, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to most of Europe and North Africa. It is a low, usually prostrate subshrub growing to 2 cm (1 in) tall with creeping stems up to 10 cm (4 in) long. The oval evergreen leaves are 3–8 mm long. The strongly scented flowers are either lilac, pink-purple, magenta, or a rare white, all 4–6 mm long and produced in clusters. The hardy plant tolerates some pedestrian traffic and produces odors ranging from heavily herbal to lightly lemon, depending on the variety.
The scalloped oak is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
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 Arabian bustard is a species of bustard which is found across the Sahel region of Africa and south western Arabia. It is part of the large-bodied genus, Ardeotis, and, though little known, appears to be a fairly typical species in that group.
Archips oporana, also known as the pine tortrix or spruce tortrix is a moth of the family Tortricidae, found in Asia and Europe. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
Stenoptilia pterodactyla, the brown plume is a moth of the family Pterophoroidea. It is found in Europe, North America, Anatolia, Iran and China. It was first described by the Swedish taxonomist, Carl Linnaeus in 1761.
Emmelina monodactyla is a moth of the family Pterophoridae found in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
Pyrausta cingulata, the silver-barred sable, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in Europe.
Stenodacma wahlbergi is a moth of the family Pterophoridae described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1851. It is known from Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sri Lanka, India, Central, East and South Africa, St. Helena, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Rodrigues. It has recently been recorded from Vietnam. Records for Australia were based on synonymisation with Stenodacma pyrrhodes.
Merrifieldia is a genus of moths in the family Pterophoridae. It has an Old World distribution, with species known from Asia, Africa and Europe.
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.
Merrifieldia leucodactyla, also known as the thyme plume, is a moth of the family Pterophoridae, and is known from most of Europe, as well as North Africa and Asia Minor. It was first described by the Austrian lepidopterists, Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775).
Merrifieldia baliodactylus, also known as the dingy white plume, is a moth of the family Pterophoridae found in most of Europe. It was first described by the German entomologist, Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1841.
Merrifieldia malacodactylus is a moth of the family Pterophoridae. It is known from Central Asia, Yemen, Mediterranean Europe, Tunisia, Morocco, Anatolia, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories and Russia.
Pyropteron muscaeforme, the thrift clearwing, is a moth of the family Sesiidae that lives in most of Europe.
Merrifieldia chordodactylus is a moth of the family Pterophoridae. It is found on the Canary Islands and in Spain. It has also been recorded from Algeria and Morocco.
Scythris siccella is a moth of the family Scythrididae first described by the German entomologist Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1839, found in Europe.