Himmelman's Plume Moth - Geina tenuidactyla |
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This little moth stunned me when I got this shot home and onto the big screen. Thanks to Bob Patterson for the ID. 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 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. ![]() Economically important pterophorids include the Artichoke Plume Moth (Platyptilia carduidactyla), a pest in California, while the Geranium Plume Moth and the Snapdragon Plume Moth cause damage to garden flowers, including Geraniums and snapdragons. 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). [1] |

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