Oxyptilus pilosellae
Encyclopedia
The Hieracium Plume Moth (Oxyptilus pilosellae) is a moth
of the Pterophoridae family. It is found in almost all of Europe
, east to Russia
and Asia Minor
. It was released as a biological control agent for Hieracium in New Zealand
in 1998.
The wingspan
is 15-24 mm. Adults are on wing from May to August in western Europe.
Young larvae feed within the roots of Hieracium
species, including Hieracium pilosella. Later instars feed on the flowerheads, beneath a silken web.
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...
of the Pterophoridae family. It is found in almost all of 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...
, east to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
. It was released as a biological control agent for Hieracium in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1998.
The wingspan
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 15-24 mm. Adults are on wing from May to August in western Europe.
Young larvae feed within the roots of Hieracium
Hieracium
Hieracium known by its common name Hawkweed and long ago by its classical name hierakion which comes from the ancient Greek hierax, "a hawk"...
species, including Hieracium pilosella. Later instars feed on the flowerheads, beneath a silken web.