| Pterophoridae Temporal range: Chattian–Present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N | |
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| Pterophorus pentadactyla | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Pterophoroidea |
| Family: | Pterophoridae Zeller, 1841 |
| Type species | |
| Pterophorus pentadactyla Linnaeus, 1758 | |
| Subfamilies | |
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| 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".
Description and ecology
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. 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) 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), and Wheeleria spilodactylus against horehound (Marrubium vulgare).
Evolution
A fossil species from the extant genus Merrifieldia is known from the Oligocene of France.
Taxonomy
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. Around 1580 accepted species are currently accepted for the Pterophoridae.
The family is divided into the following subfamilies, tribes and genera, some species are also listed:
Subfamily Agdistinae
- Genus Agdistis Hübner, 1825
Subfamily Ochyroticinae
Subfamily Deuterocopinae Gielis, 1993
- Genus Deuterocopus
- Genus Heptaloba
- Genus Hexadactilia
- Genus Leptodeuterocopus
Subfamily Pterophorinae Zeller, 1841
- Tribe Tetraschalini
- Genus Tetraschalis
- Genus Titanoptilus
- Genus Walsinghamiella
- Tribe Platyptiliini
- Genus Amblyptilia Hübner, 1825
- Genus Anstenoptilia
- Genus Asiaephorus
- Genus Bigotilia
- Genus Bipunctiphorus
- Genus Buszkoiana
- Genus Cnaemidophorus Wallengren, 1862
- Genus Crocydoscelus
- Genus Fletcherella
- Genus Gillmeria Tutt, 1905
- Genus Inferuncus
- Genus Koremaguia
- Genus Lantanophaga Zimmermann, 1958
- Genus Leesi
- Genus Lioptilodes
- Genus Melanoptilia
- Genus Michaelophorus
- Genus Nippoptilia
- Genus Paraamblyptilia
- Genus Paraplatyptilia
- Genus Platyptilia Hübner, 1825
Platyptilia celidotus
(Pterophorinae: Platyptiliini)
Platyptilia falcatalis
(Pterophorinae: Platyptiliini) - Genus Platyptiliodes
- Genus Postplatyptilia
- Genus Quadriptilia
- Genus Sinpunctiptilia
- Genus Sochchora
- Genus Sphenarches
- Genus Stenoptilia Hübner, 1825
- Genus Stenoptilodes Zimmermann, 1958
- Stenoptilodes antirrhina – snapdragon plume moth
- Genus Stockophorus
- Genus Uroloba
- Genus Vietteilus
- Genus Xyroptila
- Tribe Marasmarchini
- Genus Arcoptilia
- Genus Exelastis
- Genus Fuscoptilia
- Genus Marasmarcha
- Genus Parafuscoptilia
- Tribe Oxyptilini
- Genus Apoxyptilus Alipanah et al., 2010
- Genus Buckleria Tutt, 1905
- Genus Capperia
- Genus Crombrugghia
Stenodacma wahlbergi (Pterophorinae: Oxyptilini) - Genus Dejongia
- Genus Eucapperia
- Genus Geina
- Genus Intercapperia
- Genus Megalorhipida Amsel, 1935
- Genus Oxyptilus
- Genus Paracapperia
- Genus Prichotilus Rose and Pooni, 2003
- Genus Procapperia
- Genus Pseudoxyptilus Alipanah et al., 2010
- Genus Stangeia Tutt, 1905
- Genus Stenodacma
- Genus Tomotilus
- Genus Trichoptilus
- Tribe Oidaematophorini
- Genus Adaina
- Genus Crassuncus
- Genus Emmelina Tutt, 1905
- Genus Gypsochares
- Genus Hellinsia Tutt, 1905
- Genus Helpaphorus
- Genus Karachia
- Genus Oidaematophorus Wallengren, 1862
- Genus Picardia
- Genus Pselnophorus Wallengren, 1881
- Genus Puerphorus
- Genus Setosipennula
- Tribe Pterophorini
- Genus Calyciphora
- Genus Cosmoclostis
- Genus Diacrotricha
- Genus Imbophorus
- Genus Merrifieldia
- Genus Oirata
- Genus Patagonophorus
- Genus Porrittia
- Genus Pterophorus
- Pterophorus pentadactyla – white plume moth
- Genus Septuaginta
- Genus Singularia
- Genus Tabulaephorus
- Genus Wheeleria Tutt, 1905
Footnotes
- Haynes, K.F. & Birch, M.C. (1984)
- MDA (1980)
- Palmer, W.A. & Haseler, W.H. (1992)
- Baker, J. (2002)
- L. Bigot, A. Nel, and J. Nel. 1986. Description de la première espèce fossile connue de Ptérophore (Lepidoptera Pterophoridae). Alexanor 14:283-288
- SOHN, JAE-CHEON; LABANDEIRA, CONRAD; DAVIS, DONALD; MITTER, CHARLES (2012-04-30). "An annotated catalog of fossil and subfossil Lepidoptera (Insecta: Holometabola) of the world". Zootaxa. 3286 (1): 1. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3286.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334.
- Hobern, D. (2024)
- Gielis, Cees (2000-05-31). "Division of the Pterophoridae into Tribes (Lepidoptera)" (PDF). Quadrifina. 3: 57–60 – via ZOBODAT.
References
- Baker, J. (2002): Factors affecting the establishment of a classical biological control agent, the horehound plume moth (Wheeleria spilodactylus) in South Australia. (A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Applied and Molecular Ecology, Adelaide University, Australia) PDF fulltext
- Hobern, D. (2024): Catalogue of World Pterophoroidea Website
- Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) (1980): Geranium Plume Moth Quarantine. PDF fulltext
- Palmer, W.A & Haseler, W.H. (1992): Foodplant Specificity and Biology of Oidaematophorus balanotes (Pterophoridae): A North American Moth Introduced into Australia for the Control of Baccharis halimifolia (Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 46(3), 1992: 195–202). PDF fulltext
- Haynes, K.F. & Birch, M.C. (1984): Mate-locating and courtship behaviors of the artichoke plume moth, Platyptilia carduidactyla (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) (Environmental Entomology 13.2 1984: 399–408). https://academic.oup.com/ee/article-abstract/13/2/399/2393151]
External links
- British Insects: the Families of Lepidoptera Archived 2020-02-14 at the Wayback Machine
- http://www.plumemoth.com/ D.L. Matthews, PhD. Florida Museum
- A slow-motion video of a flying plume moth, taken by three fast cameras https://www.beatus-lab.org/fun-stuff
| Taxon identifiers | |
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| Pterophoridae |
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