Lantanophaga pusillidactyla

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.

Lantana plume moth
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
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]

Other records include Cape Verde, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Réunion, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Nigeria, Seychelles, Eswatini, 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 hispida, Lantana peduncularis, Lantana indica, Lantana involucrata, Lippia alba, Phyla nodiflora, Phyla lanceolata, Caperonia palustris, Mentha and Utricularia species.

References

1. Busck, August (1914). "New Microlepidoptera from Hawaii". Insecutor Inscitiae Menstruus. 2 (7): 103–104. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.9586.
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.

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).