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Pterophoridae

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Pterophoridae
Temporal range: Chattian–Present
Pterophorus pentadactyla
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Pterophoroidea
Family: Pterophoridae
Zeller, 1841
Type species
Pterophorus pentadactyla
Subfamilies
Diversity
95 genera
>1,600 species[1]

The Pterophoridae or plume moths are a family of Lepidoptera with unusually modified wings, giving them the shape of a narrow winged airplane. Though they belong to the Apoditrysia like the larger moths and the butterflies, most plume moths are small and the group is often included in the assemblage called "microlepidoptera".

Description and ecology

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Pupa of Platyptilia tetradactyla (Pterophorinae: Platyptiliini)

The forewings of plume moths are usually divided for part of their length into two or three segments with variably feathered edges, particularly along the hind margin. Hindwings are generally divided into three segments. This unorthodox structure does not prevent flight.[2] Genera in the subfamiles Agdistinae and Ochyroticinae have narrow but undivided wings like most Lepidoptera.

Moths in the family Alucitidae (many-plumed moths) have wings that are similarly divided, but most moths in this family have six segments in each wing. Moths in the genus Agdistopis superficially resemble the plume moth genus Agdistis and have previously been treated as part of the superfamily Pterophoroidea. However, recent work has demonstrated that these insects are more closely related to the Hybaleoidea or Copromorphoidea.[3]

A synapomorphic character for all Pterophoridae is the presence of two rows of club-shaped scales on the undersides of the hindwings of both male and female insects (along veins m3 and cu1). The purpose of these scales is still unclear.[4]

Plume moth venous scales

The usual resting posture is with the wings extended laterally and narrowly rolled up. Often they resemble a piece of dried grass, and may pass unnoticed by potential predators even when resting in exposed situations in daylight. Some species have larvae which are stem- or root-borers while others are leaf-browsers.

Bucks Plume avoids a crab spider

Economically important pterophorids include the artichoke plume moth (Platyptilia carduidactyla), an artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) pest in California, while the geranium plume moth (Platyptilia pica)[5] and the snapdragon plume moth (Stenoptilodes antirrhina) can cause damage to the ornamental plants garden geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum) and common snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), respectively. Other plume moths have been used as biological control agents against invasive plant species – Lantanophaga pusillidactyla against West Indian lantana (Lantana camara), Oidaematophorus beneficus against mistflower (Ageratina riparia), Hellinsia balanotes against groundsel bush (Baccharis halimifolia),[6] and Wheeleria spilodactylus against horehound (Marrubium vulgare).[7]

Evolution

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A fossil species from the extant genus Merrifieldia is known from the Oligocene of France.[8][9]

Taxonomy

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The small group of moths in the genus Agdistopis has often been treated as a subfamily Macropiratinae within the Pterophoridae, but recent research indicates that this group should be considered a separate family. Around 1580 accepted species are currently accepted for the Pterophoridae.[10]

The family is divided into the following subfamilies, tribes and genera,[11] some species are also listed:
Subfamily Agdistinae

Subfamily Ochyroticinae

Subfamily Deuterocopinae Gielis, 1993

Subfamily Pterophorinae Zeller, 1841

Footnotes

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  1. ^ Hobern, D. (2026)
  2. ^ Haynes, K.F. & Birch, M.C. (1984)
  3. ^ Regier, JC; Mitter, C; Zwick, A; Bazinet, AL; Cummings, MP; et al. (2013-03-12). "A Large-Scale, Higher-Level, Molecular Phylogenetic Study of the Insect Order Lepidoptera (Moths and Butterflies)". PLOS ONE. 8 (3) e58568. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...858568R. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0058568. PMC 3595289. PMID 23554903.
  4. ^ Arenberger, Ernst (1995). Microlepidoptera Palaearctica 9: Pterophoridae, Teil 1: Textband (in German). pp. 1–258.
  5. ^ MDA (1980)
  6. ^ Palmer, W.A. & Haseler, W.H. (1992)
  7. ^ Baker, J. (2002)
  8. ^ L. Bigot, A. Nel, and J. Nel. 1986. Description de la première espèce fossile connue de Ptérophore (Lepidoptera Pterophoridae). Alexanor 14:283-288
  9. ^ SOHN, JAE-CHEON; LABANDEIRA, CONRAD; DAVIS, DONALD; MITTER, CHARLES (2012-04-30). "An annotated catalog of fossil and subfossil Lepidoptera (Insecta: Holometabola) of the world". Zootaxa. 3286 (1): 1. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3286.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334.
  10. ^ Hobern, D. (2026)
  11. ^ Gielis, Cees (2000-05-31). "Division of the Pterophoridae into Tribes (Lepidoptera)" (PDF). Quadrifina. 3: 57–60 – via ZOBODAT.

References

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  • Baker, J. (2002): Factors affecting the establishment of a classical biological control agent, the horehound plume moth (Wheeleria spilodactylus) in South Australia. (A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Applied and Molecular Ecology, Adelaide University, Australia) PDF fulltext
  • Hobern, D. (2026): Catalogue of World Pterophoroidea Website
  • Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) (1980): Geranium Plume Moth Quarantine. PDF fulltext[permanent dead link]
  • Palmer, W.A & Haseler, W.H. (1992): Foodplant Specificity and Biology of Oidaematophorus balanotes (Pterophoridae): A North American Moth Introduced into Australia for the Control of Baccharis halimifolia (Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 46(3), 1992: 195–202). PDF fulltext[permanent dead link]
  • Haynes, K.F. & Birch, M.C. (1984): Mate-locating and courtship behaviors of the artichoke plume moth, Platyptilia carduidactyla (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) (Environmental Entomology 13.2 1984: 399–408). https://academic.oup.com/ee/article-abstract/13/2/399/2393151]
  • "Catalogue of the Superfamily Pterophoroidea", Pterophoridae (Lepidoptera), BRILL, pp. 10–106, 2003-01-01, ISBN 978-90-04-47537-3, retrieved 2025-08-22{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
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