Alucita cf. palodactyla

• Subfamily:
• Wingspan: 11-15 mm
• Flight period: May - Aug
• Spread: Uncommon
• Host plants: Dipsacaceae

Information

The Alucita palodactyla is a small moth of the Alucitidae family with a wingspan of 11-15 mm. It is found in Central Western Europe in particular in Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Macedonia, Greece and on the island of Crete. In Italy it is also present in the islands *. It has also been registered in European Turkey.

With the typical wings of the family, the coloring is similar to that of the congeners. Being a worn specimen, identification cannot be certain, but even in this species identification can be made by the arrangement of the spots on the costa and by the shape and color of tufts on the palps. < br>
The habitat ranges from the steppes of the slopes to luminous environments on arid meadows and stony ground, preferably calcareous ones that are inhabited by the host plant.
Adults are visible in flight from May to August, probably in two generations.

The larvae feed on Dipsacaceae such as Scabiosa rutaefolia. The caterpillar was also found in the stem of Scabiosa urceolata Desf. in a large, diffuse swelling. **


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Staudinger 1859: 259, unter " perittodactyla "