Wheeleria spilodactylus
Appearance
Wheeleria spilodactylus | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Pterophoridae |
Genus: | Wheeleria |
Species: | W. spilodactylus
|
Binomial name | |
Wheeleria spilodactylus Curtis, 1827
| |
Synonyms | |
|
Wheeleria spilodactylus, the horehound plume moth, is a moth of the family Pterophoridae, first described by John Curtis in 1827. It is found in South-Western and Central Europe and the Mediterranean, Asia Minor and North Africa. It has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand (in 2018 by Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research) as a biocontrol agent for white horehound (Marrubium vulgare).[1]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Britishentomologyvolume6Plate161.jpg/200px-Britishentomologyvolume6Plate161.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Buckler_W_The_larv%C3%A6_of_the_British_butterflies_and_moths_Plate_CLXIV.jpg/175px-Buckler_W_The_larv%C3%A6_of_the_British_butterflies_and_moths_Plate_CLXIV.jpg)
The wingspan is 20–25 millimetres (0.79–0.98 in). Adults are on wing from July to September depending on the location.[2]
The difficult to see larvae feed on black horehound (Ballota nigra) and white horehound.
References
[edit]- ^ "The release and establishment of two biological control agents of horehound (Marrubium vulgare L.) in south-eastern Australia". Weed information. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- ^ Kimber, Ian. "Wheeleria spilodactylus (Curtis, 1827)". UKmoths. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
External links
[edit]- Species info Archived 2009-09-24 at the Wayback Machine