About Platytes alpinella Hübner
Platytes alpinella (Hübner) is a moth species that belongs to the family Crambidae. It was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1813. This moth can be found in Europe, the region surrounding the Caucasus, and eastern Russia. The wingspan of Platytes alpinella ranges from 18 to 22 mm. Its forewings have a strongly triangularly extended apex; they are brown in overall color, mixed with dark fuscous and whitish scaling. A white longitudinal central streak runs across the forewings, and this streak becomes suffused toward the posterior end. The median and second lines of the forewing are sharply angled outwards above the middle of the wing and above the dorsum. The median line is dark ochreous brown, and appears blackish along the lower edge of the central white streak. The second line is white, edged with dark brown, and is blackish in the disc area posteriorly. The forewing cilia are silvery-metallic toward the middle. The hindwings of this moth are plain grey. Depending on location, adult moths are active in flight from June through September. The larvae feed on a variety of mosses, primarily species of the genus Tortula.
