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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Plume Moths (Pterophoroidea) » Plume Moths (Pterophoridae) » Five-lobed Plume Moths (Pterophorinae) » Platyptiliini » Platyptilia » Artichoke Plume Moth - Hodges#6109 (Platyptilia carduidactylus)

Species Platyptilia carduidactylus - Artichoke Plume Moth - Hodges#6109

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Illinois Geranium Plume Moth? - Platyptilia carduidactylus Artichoke Plume Moth - Platyptilia carduidactylus Artichoke Plume Moth - Platyptilia carduidactylus Artichoke Plume Moth - Platyptilia carduidactylus Plume Moth IMG_0328 - Platyptilia carduidactylus Platyptilia carduidactylus? - Platyptilia carduidactylus Pterophoridae: Platyptilia carduidactylus? - Platyptilia carduidactylus Platyptilia carduidactylus - female
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Pterophoroidea (Plume Moths)
Family Pterophoridae (Plume Moths)
Subfamily Pterophorinae (Five-lobed Plume Moths)
Tribe Platyptiliini
Genus Platyptilia
Species carduidactylus (Artichoke Plume Moth - Hodges#6109)
Hodges Number
6109
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Platyptilia carduidactylus (Riley, 1869)
Bug Guide originally listed this as Platyptilia carduidactyla, which is now the most accepted synonym.
Size
wingspan 18-27 mm (1)
larva length to 15 mm
Identification
Adult: forewing brown with darker costal border that widens to form a triangle at top of postmedial line; subterminal line edged on both sides with white; hindwing gray with tiny black triangle on anal margin. (1)
inner margin of forewing concave, flaring noticeably near tip; reddish shading usually present in subterminal area; forewing lacks "stippled effect" characteristic of Geranium Plume Moth (see See Also section below)

Larva: head black; body of early instars orange; black spots on last abdominal segment; final instar off-white, turning yellowish to pink at maturity
Range
Labrador to Virginia, west across Canada, south to Texas (1)
Habitat
adults come to light
Season
adults fly April-September (1)
Food
larvae feed on thistles (1) and all parts of artichokes
Life Cycle
Larva; adult; spent pupa
See Also
Geranium Plume Moth Amblyptilia pica forewing has several pale transverse lines along inner margin giving a "stippled effect", and usually lacks reddish shading in subterminal area

Paraplatyptilia (=Stenoptilodes) carolina has yellowish forewing whose inner margin doesn't flare noticeably near the tip
Print References
Covell, p. 391 & plate 58 #21 (1)
Internet References
Pinned Images at MPG
description of all life stages plus overview of biology, control methods, common name reference (U. of California at Davis)
Discover Life
Works Cited
1.Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America
Charles V. Covell, Jr. 2005.
Contributed by Mike Boone on 18 August, 2006 - 5:40pm
Additional contributions by Steve Nanz, Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod, Maury Heiman, Ted Kropiewnicki, marcie oconnor
Last updated 7 June, 2020 - 2:21pm

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