Donald Hobern

Google has selected a #PlumeMoth (#Lepidoptera: #Pterophoridae: Pterophorus pentadactyla) to represent the #insect order #Zoraptera.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Zoraptera

This surprised me greatly, but it seems zorapterans are "commonly known as angel insects" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoraptera), which was an even bigger surprise, and the plume moth image has been tagged "angel insect". After all, it is white and feathery and presumably suitable for inspirational posters.

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Dec 12, 2022 at 10:55pmWeb
Show threadChris FriesenDec 12, 2022
@dhobern I believe that's called a #TaxonomyFail
Show threadMary C LeggDec 18, 2022
@dhobern interesting.. Plume moths get listed as crop pest and on other hand bio agents to control invasive plants as well... mixed bag. P pentadactyla is crop pest for sweet potato Ipomoea batatas, but maybe an control agent of bindweed. mixed blessing.
Show threadDonald HobernDec 18, 2022

@pogomcl It's hard to imagine many contexts where #PlumeMoth #larvae truly impact crop production. They are small and not conspicuously gregarious and/or voracious.

The Starfruit Plume Moth (#Diacrotricha fasciola, https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/211098-Diacrotricha-fasciola) seems to be a pest because they bore into the fruit and presumably lower its marketability.

And two species have been introduced for biosecurity in #Australia (#Wheeleria spilodactylus for Marrubium vulgare, #Hellinsia balanotes for Baccharis halimifolia).

Starfruit Plume Moth (Diacrotricha fasciola)

Diacrotricha fasciola (starfruit flowermoth) is a moth of the family Pterophoridae. It is widely distributed throughout south-east Asia. (Source: Wikipedia, '', http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diacrotricha_fasciola, CC BY-SA 3.0 . Photo: (c) gbohne, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA))

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