Wheeleria spilodactylus
Encyclopedia
The Horehound Plume Moth (Wheeleria spilodactylus) is a moth
of the Pterophoroidea family. It is endemic to South-Western and Central Europe
and the Mediterranean, Asia Minor
and North Africa
. It has been introduced to Australia
.
The wingspan
is 20-25 mm. Adults are on wing from July to September depending on the location.
The larvae feed on Ballota nigra and Marrubium vulgare
.
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 Pterophoroidea family. It is endemic to South-Western and Central 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 the Mediterranean, 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...
and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. It has been introduced to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
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 20-25 mm. Adults are on wing from July to September depending on the location.
The larvae feed on Ballota nigra and Marrubium vulgare
Marrubium vulgare
Marrubium vulgare is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, northern Africa and Asia....
.