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White plumemoth - Sneeuwwitte vedermot - Ptérophore blanc - Weiße Winden-Federmotte - Pterophorus pentadactyla (fam. Pterophoridae)
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Geina didactyla is a moth of the Pterophoroidea family. It is found in most of Europe, east into Russia. The wingspan is 17–23 mm
Plume moths, like this morning glory plume moth (Emmelina monodactyla) on my fingertip are also known as T moth - I wonder if you can guess why?
They look less weird and more beautiful when they have folded out their wings from the horizontal part of the T, but are cool like this as well.
Here's an unusually northern find of the rose plume moth (Cnaemidophorus rhododactylus) from my mother-in-law's garden outside Härnösand, Sweden.
It is in no way a unique find, but still kind of rare - and also very pretty with that white saddle and those tassels on the knees.
Plume Moth (Geina buscki or tenuidactylus)¹ - Penny Lake Preserve, Boothbay Harbor, Maine
I'm thinkin Sheppardi or Buscki
(Geina buscki or Geina sheppardi tenuidactylus)
I've always liked these guys
with their streamlined wings and crazy legs.
So when I see one, there will be pics!
___________________________________________
¹ Plume Moth (Pterophoroidea) » Plume Moths » (Pterophoridae)
Pterophorinae » Platyptiliini » Geina » buscki or tenuidactylus
Complements of Aaron Hunt on BugGuide
or his web site blockislandmoths.org
Plume moths, like this Gillmeria tetradactyla, are also known as T moths and this specimen on the yellow disc of a tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) quite efficiently explain where that name came from.
The Swedish vernacular name for it is "renfanefjädermott" where the first part is a reference to tansy (called "renfana" here) so it appears to be exactly where it should.
If we are to continue in the wonderful world of natural etymology, the Swedish "renfana" lacks meaning and is just a quick and dirty version of the German "Reinfarn".
White Plume Moths / Pterophorus pentadactylus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Suborder: Ditrysia
Infraorder: Apoditrysia
Superfamily: Pterophoroidea
Family: Pterophoridae
Zeller, 1841
Geina sp. Thanks to Aaron Hunt for providing the determination on bugguide. Found at Rocky Run Fishery Area in south central Wisconsin. Columbia County, Wisconsin, USA.
Single exposure, uncropped, handheld, in situ. Canon MT-24EX flash unit, Ian McConnachie diffuser.
Plume moths, like this morning glory plume moth (Emmelina monodactyla) on my fingertip are also known as T moth - I wonder if you can guess why?
They look less weird and more beautiful when they have folded out their wings from the horizontal part of the T, but are cool like this as well.)
Part 1 showing the T shape better here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51536018773/
Here is a nice two-exposure focus stack of a plume moth known as the tansy plume (Gillmeria ochrodactyla) on a red clover (Trifolium pratense L.).
There is a very similar species known as the yarrow plume (G. pallidactyla), but that one would have the part of the hind legs between the two spurs in uniform brown which this one doesn't so it has to be the tansy one instead.
This was taken at 1:1 magnification, but the moth stayed put so I got at least one more shot of it coming up at greater magnification.
Wing span approx 3cm.
Superdomain: Neomura
Domain: Eukaryota
(unranked): Opisthokonta
(unranked) Holozoa
(unranked) Filozoa
Kingdom: Animalia
Subkingdom: Eumetazoa
Clade: Bilateria
Clade: Nephrozoa
(unranked): Protostomia
Superphylum: Ecdysozoa
(unranked): Panarthropoda
(unranked): Tactopoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Infraclass: Neoptera
Superorder: Endopterygota
Order: Lepidoptera
Suborder: Ditrysia
Infraorder: Apoditrysia
Superfamily: Pterophoroidea
Family: Pterophoridae
Subfamily: Pterophorinae
Tribe: Pterophorini
Genus: Pterophorus
Species: P. pentadactyla
Plume moths, like this Gillmeria tetradactyla, are also known as T moths and this specimen on the yellow disc of a tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) quite efficiently explain where that name came from.
The Swedish vernacular name for it is "renfanefjädermott" where the first part is a reference to tansy (called "renfana" here) so it appears to be exactly where it should.
If we are to continue in the wonderful world of natural etymology, the Swedish "renfana" lacks meaning and is just a quick and dirty version of the German "Reinfarn".
Part 1, which displays the T-shape even better, here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51256125804/
Platyptilia gonodactyla is a moth of the family Pterophoroidea. It is found in the Palearctic ecozone.
The wingspan is 22–28 mm. The moth flies from May to October depending on the location.
Here is a nice three-exposure focus stack of a plume moth known as the tansy plume (Gillmeria ochrodactyla) on a red clover (Trifolium pratense L.).
There is a very similar species known as the yarrow plume (G. pallidactyla), but that one would have the part of the hind legs between the two spurs in uniform brown which this one doesn't so it has to be the tansy one instead.
This was taken at 3.3:1 magnification, but the moth stayed put so I also got another focus stack at less magnification showing the entire moth in part 1 here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53887640585/
Found at Las Piedras Amazon Center in Madre de Dios region in southeastern Peru.
Single exposure, slightly cropped, handheld, in situ. Canon MT-24EX flash unit, Ian McConnachie diffuser.
First plume moth of the year, on my screen door. I've taken plenty of pictures of them before, but there it's been, for two days, so I figured why not. The Fall Cankerworm Moths have finally given way to other moths near the door, but not many yet. The general population around the patio lights at night is still almost zero.
Morning-glory Plume Moth, Emmelina monodactyla
Alexandria, VA
This is an odd little Plume Moth (Pterophoridae, Lepidoptera) in an impromptu shelter under overlapping leaves of a Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia, Fagaceae) tree in the woods today. It was a drippy morning, and this looks like adequate shelter. I reckon the moth is nocturnal and really didn't want to leave. It isn't tiny, maybe an inch across. It's not a butterfly, but at least I can lead with a lepidopteran. (San Marcos Pass, 19 June 2020)
I had something to do in town this morning, so I didn't get out into the woods until nearly noon. It didn't matter because we were still in the "June Gloom" clouds, and the fog winds were just starting to kick up. I went out with my camera to try to get a fly photo for Fly Day Friday, and I did. Finding this moth was a nice bonus.
This is an odd little Plume Moth (Pterophoridae, Lepidoptera) hanging on a new flower of Wedge-leaved Horkelia (Horkelia cuneata, Rosaceae). Their wings aren't really that narrow, but they fold them up like a fan at rest. There are many different kinds, both diurnal and nocturnal, so I hesitate to guess what this one is - but one possibility is the Geranium Plume Moth (Amblyptilia pica), compare this photo at BugGuide. (San Marcos Pass, 15 June 2019)
The white plume moth (Pterophorus pentadactylus) is hard to confuse with any of the other plumes with its snow white coat. Looks pretty nice on the tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), right?
Found at Las Piedras Amazon Center in Madre de Dios region in southeastern Peru.
Single exposure, moderately cropped, handheld, in situ. Canon MT-24EX flash unit, Ian McConnachie diffuser.
Wing span approx 2cm.
Superdomain: Neomura
Domain: Eukaryota
(unranked): Opisthokonta
(unranked) Holozoa
(unranked) Filozoa
Kingdom: Animalia
Subkingdom: Eumetazoa
Clade: Bilateria
Clade: Nephrozoa
(unranked): Protostomia
Superphylum: Ecdysozoa
(unranked): Panarthropoda
(unranked): Tactopoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Infraclass: Neoptera
Superorder: Endopterygota
Order: Lepidoptera
Suborder: Ditrysia
Infraorder: Apoditrysia
Superfamily: Pterophoroidea
Family: Pterophoridae
Subfamily: Pterophorinae
Tribe: Platyptiliini
Genus: Amblyptilia
Species: A. punctidactyla
This is an odd little Plume Moth (Pterophoridae, Lepidoptera) hanging from the underside of a new leaf of native Wood Mint (Stachys bullata, Lamiaceae). I had to bend the leaf back to get some light on the moth, and I'm glad it didn't fly off. (I reckon it's nocturnal and really didn't want to leave.) This one isn't tiny, almost an inch across. The hind wings are remarkable in a minimalist sort of way. (San Marcos Pass, 21 April 2020)
We started today in a cloud, but then the fog burned off - or was blown away - and we had sun for the rest of the day. Wind was an issue with 25-35 mph gusts today, and it will continue to be an issue for a few days. We're under a NWS Wind Advisory tonight and tomorrow and a High Wind Watch tomorrow night and Thursday - that's worse. At the same time as the wind is rising, the heat will also rise. It was in the mid-70s today, and it's heading to the mid-80s in a couple of days. Time for shorts instead of jackets!
This is a Crab Spider (Thomisidae) and its prey on non-native "Waverly Sage" (Salvia x 'Waverly', Lamiaceae) in the garden this morning. This prey is an odd little Plume Moth (Pterophoridae, Lepidoptera). Arachtober 7. (San Marcos Pass, 7 October 2021)
This is a little Plume Moth (Pterophoridae, Lepidoptera) that became prey of a Crab Spider (Mecaphesa, Thomisidae) near a flower of native Wedge-leaved Horkelia (Horkelia cuneata, Rosaceae) in the woods today. It was foggy and windy today, and I worked to get this photo. (San Marcos Pass, 24 June 2025)
Plume Moth (Pterophorus pentadactyla)
The Pterophoridae or plume moths are a family of Lepidoptera with unusually modified wings. Though they belong to the Apoditrysia like the larger moths and the butterflies, unlike these they are tiny and were formerly included among the assemblage called "Microlepidoptera".
Description and ecology
The forewings of plume moths usually consist of two curved spars with more or less bedraggled bristles trailing behind. This resembles the closely related Alucitidae (many-plumed moths) at first glance, but the latter have a greater number of symmetrical plumes. The hindwings are similarly constructed, but have three spars. A few genera have normal lepidopteran wings.
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.
Economically important pterophorids include the Artichoke Plume Moth (Platyptilia carduidactyla), an Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) pest in California, while the Geranium Plume Moth (Platyptilia pica)[1] 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), and Wheeleria spilodactylus against Horehound (Marrubium vulgare).
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Suborder:Ditrysia
Infraorder:Apoditrysia
Superfamily:Pterophoroidea
Family:Pterophoridae Zeller, 1841
Type species: Pterophorus pentadactyla, Linnaeus, 1758
Subfamilies:
- Agdistinae
- Deuterocopinae
- Macropiratinae (sometimes given family status as Macropiratidae)
- Ochyroticinae
- Pterophorinae
[Credit: en.wikipedia.org]
[Oxyptilus Zeller 1841: 19 (IT: 4) spp]
REFERENCES