MPG (species pages only) MPG (entire website) Entire Web

Digital Guide to Moth Identification

Pterophoridae 63a0005 – 6109   Platyptilia carduidactylus (Riley, 1869)              Artichoke Plume Moth

Photographs are the copyrighted property of each photographer listed. Contact individual photographers for permission to use for any purpose.

© M. J. Hatfield Large Map & Chart Report Errors About Maps

Larva and Host Plants: Host familiy: Asteraceae.  Host genera: Arctium Carduus Centaurea Cirsium Cynara Silybum.  Host extended: bore into flowerheads (Powell & Opler 2009); initially mine in artichoke bracts or tunnel leaf veins...  (Kimberley & Douglas 2025) Similar Species: Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.) Synonymy: carduidactylus (Riley, 1869) (Pterophorus) - MONA 1983: 6109 cardui Zeller, 1873 (Platyptilia) hesperis Grinnell, 1908 (Platyptilia)

References (Caution: DNA barcoding at BOLD provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.)

Barcode of Life (BOLD) - Caution: Identifications often erroneous; DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; many specimens not sequenced. Gielis, C., 2006. Review of the Neotropical species of the family Pterophoridae, part I: Ochyroticinae, Deuterocopinae, Pterophorinae (Platyptiliini, Exelastini, Oxyptilini) (Lepidoptera). Zoologische Mededelingen, 80-2 (1): 1-290. Matthews, D.L. & C.V. Covell, 2021. Common Names Of North American Plume Moths (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae). Southern Lepidopterists' News, 43(2): 123-148. Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler, 2009. Moths of Western North America, Pl. 12.23f; p. 119. Book Review and ordering Riley, C.V., 1869. First annual report on the noxious, beneficial and other insects, of the state of Missouri., 1: 180. Shropshire, K.J. & D.W. Tallamy, 2025. Lepidoptera of North America, north of Mexico: an annotated list containing geographic ranges and host-plant records. ZooKeys, 1261: 101-113; Suppl. 1. (PDF or read online) Species Page at Block Island Moths Species Page at BugGuide.Net Species Page at Mass Moths Species Page at iNaturalist

© John Davis © Dennis Profant © Forest Barnas © M. J. Hatfield © Jason Dombroskie © Jason Dombroskie © Jason Dombroskie © John Lee © Mark Dreiling

CalPhotos – © Jerry Powell 22mm – © Jim Vargo

Moth Photographers Group  at the  Mississippi Entomological Museum  at the  Mississippi State University

Send suggestions, or submit photographs to Webmaster — Moth Photographers Group

Database design and scripting support provided by Mike Boone