Kingdom Animalia Family Pterophoridae Genus Amblyptilia Order Butterflies and moths | Class Insecta Phylum Arthropoda Rank Species | |
Similar Amblyptilia, Butterflies and moths, Oidaematophorus, Megalorhipida leucodactyla, Oidaematophorus eupatorii | ||
The geranium plume moth (Amblyptilia pica) is a moth of the Pterophoridae family. It is found in western North America from Alaska to California, inland to Alberta and Kansas. It is also found in the north-eastern United States and Ontario.
The wingspan is 18–23 millimetres (0.71–0.91 in). Adults have dark grey forewings mottled with black. They are on wing in spring and fall and have been recorded feeding on the flower nectar of Salix species.
The larvae feed on Scrophulariaceae, Geraniaceae, Primulaceae, Labiatae and Caprifoliaceae species, including Castilleja species, Pedicularis furbishiae and Scrophularia californica, Penstemon whippleanus. They feed externally on the foliage and flower buds of their host plant, but also bore into the seedpods and mine the leaves. The species overwinters as an adult.
Taxonomy
A number of subspecies has been described, but it is unclear which, if any, are still valid: