Marasmarcha lunaedactyla
Marasmarcha lunaedactyla, also known as the crescent plume is a moth of the family Pterophoridae found in most of Europe. It was first described by Adrian Hardy Haworth in 1811.
Marasmarcha lunaedactyla | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Pterophoridae |
Genus: | Marasmarcha |
Species: | M. lunaedactyla |
Binomial name | |
Marasmarcha lunaedactyla | |
Synonyms | |
List
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Description
The wingspan is 18–22 mm. Adults have a moon-shaped creamy-white marking at the cleft of their brownish forewing, hence the names crescent plume and M. lunaedactyla. Adults are on wing from June to August.[2]
The larvae feed on the flowers and young shoots of Ononis species, including common restharrow (Ononis repens), spiny restharrow (Ononis spinosa), yellow restharrow (Ononis natrix), round-leaved restharrow (Ononis rotundifolia) and Ononis arvensis. Pupation takes place along a shoot or on a leaf of the food plant.
Distribution
The crescent plume is found in most of Europe, except Ireland and most of the Balkan Peninsula.
References
- "Marasmarcha lunaedactyla (Haworth, 1811)". Fauna Europaea. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- Kimber, Ian. "45.023 BF1495 Marasmarcha lunaedactyla (Haworth, 1811)". UKmoths. Retrieved 12 July 2020.