Oxyptilus pilosellae (hieracium plume moth) is a moth of the family Pterophoridae first described by Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1841. It is found in most of Europe, east to Russia and Asia Minor. It was released as a biological control agent for Hieracium in New Zealand in 1998.
| Oxyptilus pilosellae | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Pterophoridae |
| Genus: | Oxyptilus |
| Species: | O. pilosellae
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| Binomial name | |
| Oxyptilus pilosellae (Zeller, 1841)
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Description edit
The wingspan is 15–24 mm. Adults are on wing from May to August in western Europe.
Young larvae feed within the roots of hawkweeds (Hieracium species), including mouse-ear hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella). Later instars feed on the flowerheads, beneath a silken web.[2]
References edit
- ^ "Oxyptilus pilosellae (Zeller, 1841)". Fauna Europaea. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ Ellis, W N. "Oxyptilus pilosellae (Zeller, 1841) downland plume". Plant Parasites of Europe. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
External links edit
- Hants Moths
- microlepidoptera.nl Archived 2011-02-12 at the Wayback Machine
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