Lantanophaga pusillidactyla

Lantana plume moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pterophoridae
Genus:	Lantanophaga
Species:	L. pusillidactyla
Binomial name
	Lantanophaga pusillidactyla; (Walker, 1864)
Synonyms
	Oxyptilus pusillidactyla Walker, 1864; Platyptilia pusillidactyla; Lantanophaga pusillidactylus; Platyptilia technidion Zeller, 1877; Platyptilia hemimetra Meyrick, 1886; Platyptilia lantana Busck, 1914; Platyptilia lantanadactyla Amsel, 1951; Platyptilia teleacma Meyrick, 1932; Platyptilia amphiloga Meyrick, 1909;

Lantanophaga pusillidactyla, the lantana plume moth, is a moth of the family Pterophoridae. It is native to the southern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. It was introduced to Australia accidentally in 1936 and is now found from Sydney to Cairns along the coast. It has also been introduced to Hawaii in 1902, Pohnpei in 1948, and Palau in 1960 for biological control. It has since been recorded from Yap in 1987–1988 and is now distributed on all islands of the Mariana and Caroline Islands where the host plant is found, except Aguijan.

Other records include Cape Verde, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Réunion, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Nigeria, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Israel, Morocco, India, Indonesia (Java), New Guinea and Sri Lanka.^[3]

The wingspan is 11–14 mm.

Adults feed on flowers and lay eggs in flower heads. The larvae feed on Lantana camara, Lantana montevidensis, , , , Lantana involucrata, Lippia alba, Phyla nodiflora, Phyla lanceolata, , Mentha and Utricularia species. They feed inside flowers or tunnel around the base of the flower. They feed for seven to ten days and pupate in the flower clusters. The development time from egg to adult is about fourteen days.

References[]

^ Busck, August (1914). "New Microlepidoptera from Hawaii". Insecutor Inscitiae Menstruus. 2 (7): 103–104.
^ On the fauna of the plume moths (Lepidoptera, Pterophoridae) of KwaZulu Natal province (South-African Republic)
^ De Prins, J.; De Prins, W. (2017). "Lantanophaga pusillidactylus (Walker, 1864)". Afromoths. Retrieved November 18, 2017.

External links[]

Australian Faunal Directory
Trin Wiki
Fact Sheet
Hollenbeck, Jeff (August 26, 2007). "Species Lantanophaga pusillidactyla - Lantana plume moth - Hodges#6119". BugGuide.Net. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
Insects of Micronesia Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae
Gielis, C. (2006). "Review of the Neotropical species of the family Pterophoridae, part I: Ochyroticinae, Deuterocopinae, Pterophorinae (Platyptiliini, Exelastini, Oxyptilini) (Lepidoptera)". Zoologische Mededelingen Leiden. 80–2 (1).

This article on a moth of tribe Platyptiliini is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

[1] Busck, August (1914). "New Microlepidoptera from Hawaii". Insecutor Inscitiae Menstruus. 2 (7): 103–104.

[2] On the fauna of the plume moths (Lepidoptera, Pterophoridae) of KwaZulu Natal province (South-African Republic)

[3] De Prins, J.; De Prins, W. (2017). "Lantanophaga pusillidactylus (Walker, 1864)". Afromoths. Retrieved November 18, 2017.

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Lantana plume moth

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pterophoridae
Genus:	Lantanophaga
Species:	L. pusillidactyla
Binomial name
*Lantanophaga pusillidactyla* (Walker, 1864)
Synonyms
Oxyptilus pusillidactyla Walker, 1864 Platyptilia pusillidactyla Lantanophaga pusillidactylus Platyptilia technidion Zeller, 1877 Platyptilia hemimetra Meyrick, 1886 Platyptilia lantana Busck, 1914^[1] Platyptilia lantanadactyla Amsel, 1951 Platyptilia teleacma Meyrick, 1932 Platyptilia amphiloga Meyrick, 1909^[2]