Merrifieldia malacodactylus

Merrifieldia malacodactylus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pterophoridae
Genus:	Merrifieldia
Species:	M. malacodactylus
Binomial name
Merrifieldia malacodactylus (Zeller, 1847)
Synonyms
Pterophorus malacodactylus Zeller, 1847 Pterophorus meristodactylus Zeller, 1852 Alucita indocta Meyrick, 1913 Alucita subtilis Caradja, 1920 Alucita parca Meyrick, 1921 Alucita subcretosa Meyrick, 1922 Alucita phaeoschista Meyrick, 1923 Alucita spicidactyla Chrétien, 1923 Alucita rayatella Amsel, 1959 Aciptilia spicidactyla insularis Bigot, 1961 Aciptilia livadiensis Zagulajev & Filippova, 1976 Pterophorus malacodactylus trasdanubinus Fazekas, 1986 Merrifieldia garrigae Bigot & Picard, 1989 Merrifieldia moulignieri Nel, 1991 Merrifieldia inopinata Bigot, Nel & Picard, 1993

Merrifieldia malacodactylus is a moth of the Pterophoridae family. It is known from Central Asia, Yemen, Mediterranean Europe,^[1] Tunisia, Morocco, Anatolia, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories and Russia.^[2]

Adults are very variable.

The larvae feed on Origanum vulgare, Thymus herba-barona, Lavandula stoechas, Lavandula angustifolia, Lavandula latifolia, Calamintha nepeta, Rosmarius officinalis and Nepeta nepetellae.

References

1. Afro Moths
2. "Die Pterophor Arten aus West- und Zentralasiens, 1. Beitrag (Lepidoptera, Pterophoridae)" (PDF). Lands Museum. Retrieved 2011.