Platyptilia calodactyla

Platyptilia calodactyla is a moth of the family Pterophoridae found in Asia and Europe. It was first described by the Austrian entomologists, Michael Denis & Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775.

Platyptilia calodactyla
Platyptilia calodactyla (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775), specimen, Natural History Museum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pterophoridae
Genus:	Platyptilia
Species:	P. calodactyla
Binomial name
Platyptilia calodactyla (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) [1]
Synonyms
List Alucita calodactyla Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 Alucita petradactyla Hübner, 1819 Pterophorus zetterstedti Zeller, 1841 Platyptilia taeniadactyla South, 1882 Platyptilia leucorrhyncha Meyrick, 1902 Platyptilia calodactyla f. doronicella Fuchs, 1902

Description

The wingspan is 18–25 mm.^[2]

Platyptilia calodactyla differs from Platyptilia gonodactyla as follows : forewings with termen distinctly less sinuate, apical spot in cilia lighter and apex appearing less falcate, colour rather darker and more ochreous tinged, less strigulated with white, especially posteriorly.^[3][4]

Biology

Adults are single brooded and emerge in June and July.^[5]

The larvae feed in the stem of European goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea), Senecio nemorensis, heath groundsel (Senecio sylvaticus) and leopard's bane (Doronicum species), sometimes causing wilting of the leaves.^[6]

Distribution

It is found in most of Europe, except Portugal, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine and Greece. It has also been recorded from Iran.^[7]