LepidopteraPterophoridae – Plume Moths2 data sources

Beautiful Plume

Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

This record describes Amblyptilia acanthadactyla (species). Recorded family: Pterophoridae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Beautiful Plume - Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

A Plume moth. Like its relative, A. punctidactyla , the hindwing has two patches of black scales on its dorsum which protrude when the rest of the hindwing is covered by the forewing. Amblyptilia acanthadactyla may be distinguished by its warm reddish brown colour from the greyish brown of A. punctidactyla . There are two generations, with moths on the wing in July and again from September onwards, flying after hibernation until May. The adults are attracted to light. The larvae feed in June and in August on the flowers and young leaves of a large range of plants. This moth is distributed widely over much of Britain and Ireland and, since the 1990s, has become much more frequent, including in gardens. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

Wikipedia reference for Amblyptilia acanthadactyla: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblyptilia acanthadactyla.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily: Pterophoroidea
Family: Pterophoridae (Plume Moths)
Subfamily: Pterophorinae
Tribe: Platyptiliini
Genus: Amblyptilia

Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.

Habitat and Range

Habitat

Most places including gardens.

Seasonal Activity

July and September onwards.

Diet and Behavior

Life History

There are two generations, with moths on the wing in July and again from September onwards, flying after hibernation until May. The adults are attracted to light. The larvae feed in June and in August on the flowers and young leaves of a large range of plants.

Additional species information

Recorded status

This moth is distributed widely over much of Britain and Ireland and, since the 1990s, has become much more frequent, including in gardens. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Amblyptilia acanthadactyla. Species-specific details appear above.

Group overview

Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.

Ecological role of the group

Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.

Economic and practical significance of the group

Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.

Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.

Explore Lepidoptera families and species →