Emmelina monodactyla
Emmelina monodactyla is a moth of the family Pterophoridae found in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
Description
The moths fly nearly year-round.They are pale russet in colour, with a wingspan of 18–27 millimeters. The colouration is extremely variable, ranging from off-white with indistinct markings to a strong rust brown. The markings may vary considerably in size. The second and third segments are elongate. The caterpillars are greenish-yellow with a broad green band on the back, and a narrow broken yellow line running down the center. Some specimens may also have a wine-red marking on the back. The colour of the pupae may range from green to reddish brown, sometimes with black markings.
Biology
The larvae feed from May to September in two overlapping generations. They mainly feed on Convolvulaceae species, including hedge bindweed, low false bindweed, sea bindweed, field bindweed, Cantabrican morning glory, Convolvulus floridus, Convolvulus prostratus, dwarf morning-glory, sweet potato, Ipomoea eriocarpaand common morning-glory. They also feed on Atriplex species, including common orache and Chenopodium, including fat-hen from the family Amaranthaceae, cardoon from the family Asteraceae, and thorn apple and henbane from the family Solanaceae.