Merrifieldia baliodactylus

Merrifieldia baliodactylus, also known as the dingy white plume, is a moth of the family Pterophoridae found in most of Europe. It was first described by the German entomologist, Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1841.^[1]

Fig. 8 larva after final moult 8a pupa

Merrifieldia baliodactylus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pterophoridae
Genus:	Merrifieldia
Species:	M. baliodactylus
Binomial name
Merrifieldia baliodactylus (Zeller, 1841)
Synonyms
Merrifieldia baliodactyla Pterophorus baliodactylus Zeller, 1841 Alucita tridactylus Stephens, 1834 Pterophorus daliodactilus Bruand, 1850

The wingspan is 20–27 millimetres (0.79–1.06 in). Adults are on wing from July to August in one generation in western Europe.^[2]

The larvae feed on Oregano (Origanum vulgare), biting through the stem and causing the upper leaves to wilt.^[3]