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Pterophoridae : Pterophorinae

Common Plume

EMMELINA monodactyla (Linnaeus, 1758)
Picture
Life Cycle Guide-Imago Only
Picture
Description
Vernacular Names: Common Plume  : T Moth : Morning Glory Plume Moth
Wingspan: 18-27mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : Africa : Asia : North America : Mexico
UK Distribution: Common throughout much of the British Isles
UK Conservation Status -
  • Common = >300 10Km Squares
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Phalaena monodactyla Linnæus, 1758
Type Species - Emmelina
  • Phalaena monodactyla Linnæus, 1758
Type Locality -
  • Europe
Flight Period: Nearly year round-South-Bivoltine-Two overlapping broods
Habitat: Dry grassland : Gardens : Woodland clearings : Waste ground
Similar Species -
  • None
Larva: The larvae is polyphagous feeding on a wide variety of plant genera where they feed on the leaves and flowers of the host plants as stated below
Overwintes as: Adult
Observations: The Common Plume Moth E.monodactyla is as the name suggests, common throughout Britain where its larval food plants,which are considerable, are found.

The latin name describes the wing shape very clearly when the moth is at rest as its appears to only have one (mono) finger (dactyl) although this is because the lightly coloured brown wing is highly rolled up and there are actually more fingers with thin feathery hairs which look much like the wings of a bird.
Another feature which is common in Plume moths are the spurs on each legs which in the case of this moth are of different lengths as can be clearly seen in photo 2.

The larvae of this moth are polyphageous using plants from many plant families including the Bindweeds,Heather,Goosefoot,Thistle and Nightshades.
This is hardly surprising as the moth is widespread across the world from Europe to both west and east to North America and Asia clearly increasing the plant families available.

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.
Larval Food Plants
Taxonomy
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Type Species - EMMELINA:

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Literary Ref:

Type Locality:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Pterophoroidea
Pterophoridae
Pterophorinae
EMMELINA Tutt, 1905
Emmelina monodactyla (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Phalaena monodactyla Linnaeus, 1758
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PHALAENA monodactyla Linnæus, 1758
= Alucita monodactyla Linnaeus, 1758
= Phalaena bidactyla Hochenwarth, 1785
= albodactyla Fabricius, 1794
= Alucita pterodactyla Hübner, 1805
= Pterophorus flaveodactylus Amary, 1840
= Pterophorus cineridactylus Fitch, 1854
= Pterophorus naevosidactylus Fitch, 1854
= Pterophorus impersonalis Walker 1864
= Pterophorus pergracilidactylus Packard, 1873
= Pterophorus barberi Dyar, 1903
= Pterophorus pictipennis Grinnell, 1908
= Pterophorus monodactylus f. rufa Dufrane, 1960
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Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title Page : p.542 - n.300
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Europe