Philedonides lunana
species of insect
Philedonides lunana, also known as the heath tortrix and Walker’s Lanark tortrix, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It was first described by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1784 and is found in most of Europe.
Description
There is distinct sexual dimorphism. The wingspan is 12–16 mm. Adults are on wing from March to May. Males fly on calm, sunny days, especially at sunrise, midday and evening, while females sit on the top of vegetation, where pairing takes place. At other times the moths hide amongst dead leaves and are difficult to find.
Eggs are laid in March and April, in small batches on the leaves of coarse, moorland plants. Plants include bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi species in Ireland), silverweed (Argentina anserina), common mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), heather (Calluna species), black knapweed (Centaurea nigra), scabiosa species, thistles (Cirsium species), wild carrot (Daucus carota), heath (Erica species), ash (Fraxinus excelsior), petty whin (Genista anglica), larch (Larix species), mint (Mentha species), bog-myrtle (Myrica gale), restharrow (Ononis fruticosa), milk-parsley (Peucedanum palustre), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis in Wales), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta in Scotland and Wales), cinquefoils (Potentilla species), goat willow (Salix caprea), sea campion (Silene uniflora), alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum), red clover (Trifolium pratense), Vaccinium species and valerians (Valeriana species). The larvae feed in spun or folded leaves and flowers in May and June.
“Philedonides lunana” enters the record as species of insect. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Philedonides, lunana and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Philedonides lunana” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Philedonides, lunana and species provides the most credible route into that argument.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 25, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q1766370. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1784.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Philedonides lunana”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Philedonides lunana primary sources, Philedonides lunana archive and Philedonides research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Philedonides lunana”?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Philedonides lunana” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.