''Gillmeria ochrodactyla'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family Pterophoridae found in Asia and Europe. It was first described by the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Michael Denis Johann Nepomuk Cosmas Michael Denis, also: ''Sined the Bard'', (27 September 1729 – 29 September 1800) was an Austrian Catholic priest and Jesuit, who is best known as a poet, bibliographer, and lepidopterist. Life Denis was born at Schärding ...

Ignaz Schiffermüller Ignaz Schiffermüller (born 2 October 1727 in Hellmonsödt; died 21 June 1806 in Linz) was an Austrian naturalist mainly interested in Lepidoptera. Schiffermüller was a teacher at the Theresianum College in Vienna. His collection was presented ...

in 1775.

Description

The species was known as ''Gillmeria tetradactyla'' until recently, but is now known as ''Gillmeria ochrodactyla''. ''Gillmeria tetradactyla'' is now an invalid name. Reason for this decision is to eliminate the confusion with '' Platyptilia tetradactyla''. ''Gillmeria ochrodactyla'' has a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

of and is superficially similar to '' Gillmeria pallidactyla''. ''G. ochrodactyla'' has brown and white bands on its hindlegs below the middle spurs, whereas the legs of ''G pallidactyla'' are not banded. The moth is single-brooded, flying from late June to August, can be found resting on the flower-heads of the larval food plant, tansy ('' Tanacetum vulgare''). After dark, the

imago In biology, the imago (Latin for "image") is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it is also called the imaginal stage, the stage in which the insect attains maturity. It follows the f ...

will come to

light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...

. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e initially feed on tansy ('' Tanacetum vulgare'') flowers in August, then mine down a shoot, and from November to March,

diapause In animal dormancy, diapause is the delay in development in response to regular and recurring periods of adverse environmental conditions.Tauber, M.J., Tauber, C.A., Masaki, S. (1986) ''Seasonal Adaptations of Insects''. Oxford University Press It ...

in the roots. In April the larvae eat in to a new-growth stem mining for about 2 cm, moves to a fresh position in the stem, or to a new stem to continue mining until early June. Larvae can be found by searching for wilted stems, or for

frass Frass refers loosely to the more or less solid excreta of insects, and to certain other related matter. Definition and etymology ''Frass'' is an informal term and accordingly it is variously used and variously defined. It is derived from the ...

under leaf sheafs. ''G. pallidactyla'' larvae have been found on tansy but the mature larvae feed externally on the stem, rather than mining the stem.

Distribution

It is found in most of Europe and has recently been recorded from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

References

External links

Lepidoptera of BelgiumMicrolepidoptera.nl
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2694598 Platyptiliini Moths described in 1775 Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Taxa named by Michael Denis Taxa named by Ignaz Schiffermüller