Pterophoridae : Pterophorinae
Beautiful Plume
AMBLYPTILIA acanthadactyla (Hübner, [1813])
Beautiful Plume
AMBLYPTILIA acanthadactyla (Hübner, [1813])
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Vernacular Name: Beautiful Plume
Wingspan: 17-23mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : North Africa : Asia Minor
UK Distribution: Common throughout much of Britain
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Parks : Gardens : Heathland : Moorland : Hedges : Rough ground
Similar species -
Larva: The larvae feed on the flowers,leaves and seeds of the food plant
Pupa: Pupates on the undersides of leaves and lasts about ten to twelve days
Overwinters as: Adult
Observations: The Beautiful Plume Moth A.acanthadactyla is clearly only a small plume moth but as the name suggests it is well marked with reddish brown markings along the costa from the base to the to the triangular marking near the cleft at the forewing termen.
There are four distinct reddish brown lobes along the forewing dorsum. The forewing base colour is lighter brown with a white line running parallel to the termen and is intercepted by the cleft which splits the termen.
The autumn brood produces highest numbers of moth.
Having two generations and overwintering as an adult one can expect to see this pretty little moth throughout most seasons except winter.
The moth normally flies at dusk and comes to light.
Wingspan: 17-23mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : North Africa : Asia Minor
UK Distribution: Common throughout much of Britain
UK Conservation Status -
- Common = >300 10Km Squares
- Least Concern
- Alucita acanthadactyla Hübner, 1813
- Alucita acanthadactyla Hübner, 1813
- Not Specified
Habitat: Parks : Gardens : Heathland : Moorland : Hedges : Rough ground
Similar species -
- Amblyptilia punctidactyla Haworth, 1811
Larva: The larvae feed on the flowers,leaves and seeds of the food plant
Pupa: Pupates on the undersides of leaves and lasts about ten to twelve days
Overwinters as: Adult
Observations: The Beautiful Plume Moth A.acanthadactyla is clearly only a small plume moth but as the name suggests it is well marked with reddish brown markings along the costa from the base to the to the triangular marking near the cleft at the forewing termen.
There are four distinct reddish brown lobes along the forewing dorsum. The forewing base colour is lighter brown with a white line running parallel to the termen and is intercepted by the cleft which splits the termen.
The autumn brood produces highest numbers of moth.
Having two generations and overwintering as an adult one can expect to see this pretty little moth throughout most seasons except winter.
The moth normally flies at dusk and comes to light.
Photo Gallery
Larval Food Plants
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website
where further information like photos,physical
characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal
uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
- Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
- Ericaceae - Heather Family
- Calluna vulgaris - Common Heather - Ling
- Erica tetralix - Bog Heather
- Vaccinium oxycoccos - Small Cranberry - Wild Cranberry
- Fabaceae - Leguminosea - The Pulse - Bean - Pea - Legume Family
- Ononis natrix - Large Yellow Rest Harrow
- Ononis repens - Rest Harrow
- Ononis spinosa - Spiny Rest Harrow
- Geraniaceae - Geranium - Pelagonium - Cranebill Family
- Geranium pratense - Meadow Crane'sbill
- Geranium robertianum - Herb Robert
- Lamiaceae - Labiatae - The Mint Family
- Calamintha nepeta - Lesser Calamint
- Lavendula stoechas - French Lavender
- Stachys sylvatica - Hedge Woundwort
- Teucrium scorodonia - Wood Sage - Woodland Germander
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Chenopodiaceae - Chenopodium - Goosefoots
- Lamiaceae - Labiatae - Mentha - Mints
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - AMBLYPTILIA: Original Genus Name: Literary Ref: Type Locality: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Pterophoroidea Pterophoridae Pterophorinae AMBLYPTILIA Hübner, 1825 Amblyptilia acanthadactyla (Hübner, [1813]) - ALUCITA acanthadactyla Hübner, 1813 - ALUCITA acanthadactyla Hübner, 1813 = Amblyptilia acanthodactyla Hübner, 1813 = Alucita acanthodactyla Hübner, 1813 = Amblyptilia calaminthae Frey, 1886 - Sammlung europäischer Schmetterlinge / errichtet von Jacob Hübner in Augsburg. By Hübner, Jacob, 1761-1826 : Lepidoptera 1X: Alucite 1 : p.5- f. 23/23 - Not Specified |