PLUME MOTH

any of the approximately 600 species of the cosmopolitan insect family Pterophoridae (order Lepidoptera), named for the deep wing divisions that resemble plumes or lobes. It differs from the many-plumed moth, an Orneodidae-family member, in that its forewings and hindwings are not split down to their base into six plumes but are divided only to their middle, the forewings usually into two plumes, the hindwings into three. Plume moths have slender bodies with long, fragile legs. The moths vary in wingspan from 6 to 50 mm (0.25 to 2 inches) and are weak fliers. Active at night, they usually rest in plants during the day, stretching their wings out and rolling them into the shape of a rod, rather than folding them back. Larval habits range from rolling leaves to boring in stems.