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Paraplatyptilia fragilis
Beardtongue Plume Moth
Paraplatyptilia fragilis is a plume moth in the family Pterophoridae, described by Lord Walsingham from the Klamath Lakes area in northern California. It has a wide geographic range across the Great Basin, inland montane and desert regions from eastern British Columbia to Utah, and from New Mexico to southern California and Baja California Norte in Mexico. Adults are active in April and have a wingspan of 17–19 mm. The species is very similar to Paraplatyptilia carduidactylus but averages paler in coloration, particularly on the uniformly pale abdomen. The larvae feed specifically on Penstemon cyananthus.