Amblyptilia pica

"Geranium plume moth" redirects here. For the other moth with this common name, see Sphenarches anisodactylus.
Amblyptilia pica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pterophoridae
Genus: Amblyptilia
Species: A. pica
Binomial name
Amblyptilia pica
(Walsingham, 1880)[1]
Synonyms
  • Amblyptilus pica Walsingham, 1880
  • Platyptilia pica
  • Platyptilia monticola Grinnell, 1908
  • Platyptilia crataea T.B. Fletcher, 1940
  • Platyptilia pica calisequoiae Lange, 1950
  • Platyptilia pica marina Lange, 1950
  • Platyptilia pica sierra Lange, 1950

The geranium plume moth (Amblyptilia pica) is a moth of the Pterophoridae family. It is found in western North America from Alaska to California, inland to Alberta and Kansas. It is also found in the north-eastern United States and Ontario.[2]

The wingspan is 18–23 millimetres (0.71–0.91 in).[3] Adults have dark grey forewings mottled with black. They are on wing in spring and fall and have been recorded feeding on the flower nectar of Salix species.

The larvae feed on Scrophulariaceae, Geraniaceae, Primulaceae, Labiatae and Caprifoliaceae species, including Castilleja species, Pedicularis furbishiae and Scrophularia californica, Penstemon whippleanus. They feed externally on the foliage and flower buds of their host plant, but also bore into the seedpods[4] and mine the leaves. The species overwinters as an adult.

Taxonomy

A number of subspecies has been described, but it is unclear which, if any, are still valid:

References


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