Merrifieldia tridactyla, also known as the western thyme plume, is a moth of the family Pterophoridae, first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 10th edition of Systema Naturae in 1758. It is known from most of Europe, as well as North Africa and Asia Minor.
Description The wingspan is . It is very similar to Merrifieldia leucodactyla Certain identification requires examination of the genitalia.Gielis, C., 1996. Pterophoridae. - In P. Huerner, O. Karsholt and L. Lyneborg (eds): Microlepidoptera of Europe 1: 1-222. ISBN 87-88757-36-6 ISSN 1395-9506
Adults are on wing from June to July in western Europe.
The larvae feed on Thymus species, including Breckland thyme (Thymus serpyllum) and common thyme (Thymus vulgaris), and mint (Mentha species) in Europe. In Saudi Arabia, larvae have been recorded feeding on the fruits of Cucurbita moschata.
References
External links First Record of a Pterophorid Moth, Merrifieldia tridactyla, Causing Damage to Long Guard Fruits Cucurbita moschata (Cucurbitaceae) in Saudi Arabia UKmoths