Pygmy Plume Moth - Hodges# 6101
Trichoptilus pygmaeus
This record describes Trichoptilus pygmaeus (species). Recorded family: Pterophoridae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
See the identification key for Oxyptilini . See the species account in Barnes & Lindsey . See the differential diagnosis with Trichoptilus potentellus in Lange . Trichoptilus pygmaeus adults have: a forewing second lobe that is narrow with an acute apex, as in Buckleria , Dejongia , and Megalorhipida , and not broader with a well developed, curved outer margin, as in Sphenarches , Geina , Capperia , and Oxyptilus . a whitish brown abdomen without conspicuous white dorsal or subdorsal lines or spots, as Buckleria , Dejongia , and Megalorhipida have. antennae with alternating brown and white marks, unlike in Dejongia californicus and Megalorhipida leucodactylus . a small, subapical, dark scale tooth usually present on the hindwing third lobe dorsal fringe, usually absent in Trichoptilus potentellus and Buckleria parvulus .
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Pterophoroidea
- Family
- Pterophoridae (Plume Moths)
- Subfamily
- Pterophorinae
- Tribe
- Oxyptilini
- Genus
- Trichoptilus
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Trichoptilus pygmaeus. 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.
Photos of Pygmy Plume Moth - Hodges# 6101 (2)
Photo credits: Contributed by Timothy Reichard