Pterophoridae Temporal range:
| |
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Pterophorus pentadactyla | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Superfamily: | Pterophoroidea |
Family: | Pterophoridae Zeller, 1841 |
Type species | |
Pterophorus pentadactyla | |
Subfamilies | |
| |
Diversity | |
>90 genera >1,000 species |
The Pterophoridae or plume moths are a family of Lepidoptera with unusually modified wings, giving them the shape of a narrow winged airplane. Though they belong to the Apoditrysia like the larger moths and the butterflies, unlike these they are tiny and were formerly included among the assemblage called "microlepidoptera".