Merrifieldia tridactyla (Linnaeus, 1758) Species
Last modified: Feb. 11, 2022, 10:56 a.m.
The presence of this very rare and local species in Belgium seems to be confined to the province of NA.
Details
- Classification
- Family: Pterophoridae > Subfamily: Pterophorinae > Genus: Merrifieldia > Species: Merrifieldia tridactyla
- Vernacular names
- Egale tijmvedermot (NL)
- First mention in Belgium
- De Sélys-Longchamps E. 1844. Énumération des insectes Lépidoptères de la Belgique. — Mémoires de la Société royale des Sciences de Liége 2: 1–35. On page 25.
- Status
-
Native
Distribution
Imago
Wingspan about 20 mm.
Museum specimens
Specimens in nature
No pictures yet!Bionomics
The larva feeds on the flower buds and flowers of the food plant. Later on it also accepts the unripe seeds.
Pupation on the food plant. The pupal stage lasts only ca. 10 days.
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Flight periods
Two difficult to separate generations a year: from April to September.
Observed on
- Host plant (species):
- Thymus drucei, Thymus serpyllum, Thymus vulgaris, Thymus pulegioides, Thymus praecox, Mentha longifolia, Mentha suaveolens and Calamintha nepeta
Oligophagous on Lamiaceae like Thymus spp.
No pictures yet!
Habitat
Xerotherm slopes, mainly on limestone, where the foodplants grow.
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