Megalorhipida leucodactylus, Crete - photo © Tomi Mutanen
Megalorhipida leucodactylus (Fabricius, 1794)
MOTH INFO
Megalorhipida leucodactylus is a moth of the family Pterophoridae on the island of Crete, Greece.
Scientific name
Megalorhipida leucodactylus (Fabricius, 1794)
Synonyms
Pterophorus leucodactylus (Fabricius, 1794)
Pterophorus defectalis (Walker, 1864)
Pterophorus congrualis (Walker, 1864)
Pterophorus oxydactylus (Walker, 1864)
Aciptilia hawaiiensis (Butler, 1881)
Trichoptilus ochrodactylus (Fish, 1881)
Trichoptilus centetes (Meyrick, 1886)
Trichoptilus compsochares (Meyrick, 1886)
Trichoptilus ralumensis (Pagenstecher, 1900)
Trichoptilus derelictus (Meyrick, 1926)
Megalorrhipida palästinalis (Amsel, 1935)
Megalorhipida palaestinensis (Amsel, 1935)
Common name
Spiderling Plume moth
Classification
Superfamily: Pterophoroidea > Family: Pterophoridae > Subfamily: Pterophorinae > Genus: Megalorhipida
Wingspan
12-18,5 mm
Habitat
Gardens, neglected urban planters, as well as in cracks and crevices of sidewalks and driveways.
Food plant
Larvae feed on plants from several families, including i.e. Mimosaceae (Mimosa sp.) and Amaranthaceae (Amaranthus sp.), but they occur most frequently on species of the family Nyctaginaceae (π.χ. Boerhavia sp). The larvae bore into unripe fruits to feed on the tender ovules, leaving behind empty fruit casings marked by a single exit hole.
Flight period*
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
*based on a few observations on the island.
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