Micronola wadicola
Encyclopedia
Micronola wadicola is a moth
of the Micronoctuidae
family. It is found in Jordan
, south-western Iran
, south-western Saudi Arabia
, Oman
and Yemen
.
The wingspan
is 9-13 mm. The head, patagia and first part of the thorax are grey. The posterior part of the thorax and the ground colour of the forewings (including fringes) is beige. The crosslines are black. The hindwings are whitish beige and the abdomen is beige (although the anal tuft in the female is bright yellow). The underside is unicolourous whitish beige. There is no discal spot on the hindwing.
The habitats consists of warm, dry areas in desertlike open grassland with herbaceous plants
and rocky biotopes with scattered trees. Adults are on wing at night and have been observed in all months except June, August, September and December. There are probably multiple generations per year.
The larval host plants are unknown, but they possibly feed on fungus species. The larvae are very narrow, transparent and have a large head.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Micronoctuidae
Micronoctuidae
The Micronoctuidae are a family of moths that includes about 400 described species. The family was first described in 2005.Micronoctua karsholti is the smallest of all species in the Noctuoidea superfamily.-Taxonomic History:...
family. It is found in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, south-western Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, south-western Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
and Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 9-13 mm. The head, patagia and first part of the thorax are grey. The posterior part of the thorax and the ground colour of the forewings (including fringes) is beige. The crosslines are black. The hindwings are whitish beige and the abdomen is beige (although the anal tuft in the female is bright yellow). The underside is unicolourous whitish beige. There is no discal spot on the hindwing.
The habitats consists of warm, dry areas in desertlike open grassland with herbaceous plants
and rocky biotopes with scattered trees. Adults are on wing at night and have been observed in all months except June, August, September and December. There are probably multiple generations per year.
The larval host plants are unknown, but they possibly feed on fungus species. The larvae are very narrow, transparent and have a large head.