Stenoptilia aridus
Encyclopedia
Stenoptilia aridus is a moth
of the Pterophoridae family. It is found in the Mediterranean region and northern Africa
and is a rare immigrant in more northern parts of Europe
, including Belgium
and Great Britain
. It is also known from Central Asia, Yemen
and Iran
.
The wingspan
is 18-19 mm. Adults are on wing from August to October in France.
The larvae feed on Misopates orontium and Kickxia spuria
.
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 the Mediterranean region and northern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and is a rare immigrant in more northern parts 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...
, including Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. It is also known from Central Asia, Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
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 18-19 mm. Adults are on wing from August to October in France.
The larvae feed on Misopates orontium and Kickxia spuria
Kickxia spuria
Kickxia spuria is a species of flowering plant in the figwort family known by several common names, including roundleaf cancerwort and round-leaved fluellin. It is native to Europe and Asia, but it is present on other continents as an introduced species, and sometimes a noxious weed. This is a low...
.