Alucita hexadactyla
Encyclopedia
The Twenty-plume Moth is a "micromoth
" of the many-plumed moth family (Alucitidae). It is found in Europe
and has been introduced into North America
.
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.
The moth is also popularly known as the Many-plumed Moth, while the specific name hexadactyla comes from the Greek for six-fingered.
The moth flies the whole year depending on the location. It is common and often found in gardens, but is readily overlooked because of its small size.
The caterpillar
larvae feed on honeysuckle
(Lonicera). They are leaf miners, tunnelling inside the leaves of the food plant to avoid predators.
Microlepidoptera
Microlepidoptera is an artificial grouping of moth families, commonly known as the 'smaller moths' . These generally have a wingspan of under 20 mm, and are thus harder to identify by external phenotypic markings than macrolepidoptera...
" of the many-plumed moth family (Alucitidae). It is found in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and has been introduced into North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 14–16 mm. Unlike a typical moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
, 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.
The moth is also popularly known as the Many-plumed Moth, while the specific name hexadactyla comes from the Greek for six-fingered.
The moth flies the whole year depending on the location. It is common and often found in gardens, but is readily overlooked because of its small size.
The caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
larvae feed on honeysuckle
Honeysuckle
Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 180 species of honeysuckle, 100 of which occur in China; Europe, India and North America have only about 20 native species each...
(Lonicera). They are leaf miners, tunnelling inside the leaves of the food plant to avoid predators.