plume moth

Class: Hexapoda (animals with six legs - includes all insects)
    lepido = scale and ptera = wings (singular is pteron)
    The wings are covered with small scales.
Order: Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)
Family: Pterophoridae (plume moths)
Species: undetermined
Common Name: plume moth (not species specific)
Date: 2003 September 26
Place: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    Pine Springs Visitor Center (at lights)

The moths are sometimes split into micro and macro categories. The species in the micromoth families tend to be small, less than 1 inch to much less than an inch. Because of their small size, the micromoths are less well-known and generally require more work to identify to species. This family, the Pterophoridae, is in the micro category. Knudson and Bordelon (1999) list 27 species of plume moths for the Park.

Among the micromoths, the plume moths are probably the most eye-catching and the easiest to recognize. At rest, the front and hind wings are rolled and held straight out from the body, so that the insect has a "T"-shaped appearance.

Links

Note: This is a personal web site and is not affiliated with the National Park Service or Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Contact information for the author, Ron Lyons, is accessible through the Index Page referenced below. Thank you.