Atlantarctia tigrina
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Atlantarctia tigrina |
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| ( Villers , 1789) |
Atlantarctia tigrina , alsoto be foundin the literature as Arctia fasciata and sometimes referred to as the tiger bear, is a butterfly ( moth ) from the subfamily of the bear moth (Arctiinae).
features
butterfly
The moths have a wingspan of 41 to 48 millimeters for the males and 41 to 51 millimeters for the females. The upper side of the forewing has a black base color and is traversed by several wide white cross bars, which are usually connected to one another by narrow longitudinal bars. The upper side of the hind wing is colored orange-yellow, reddish towards the edge and provided with black spots in the post-disk region and others in the middle of the wing. The undersides of all the wings depict the colors and patterns of the upper sides in indistinct and weakened intensity. The antennae of the males are ciliate on both sides, those of the females are thread-like and slightly sawtooth. The thorax is hairy woolly black-brown. A black longitudinal line stands out on the upper side of the bright red colored abdomen , which widens at the end.
Caterpillar
Young caterpillars are gray in color and have very long hair all over their body. Adult animals have short and thick hair that is black on the back and reddish-brown on the sides. Some specimens show a red topline.
Similar species
Atlantarctia dido , Atlantarctia oberthueri and Atlantarctia ungemachi differ in that they have narrower bands on the upper side of the forewing . The aforementioned species occur exclusively in North Africa.
Distribution and occurrence
The distribution area of Atlantarctia tigrina includes the Iberian Peninsula as well as southern France and northern Italy . The species prefers to colonize barren rocky areas and steppe heaths.
Way of life
The flight time of the nocturnal moths, which fly in one generation, is from May to July. The males in particular visit artificial light sources . The main food plants of the caterpillars are the leaves of lilac ( Syringa ) and gorse species ( Genista ) as well as low-growing plants. The caterpillars are often infested with a high percentage of parasitoids , such as brackish wasps (Braconidae). Pupation takes place in a cocoon mostly under stones. The species overwinters as a caterpillar.
swell
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Josef J. de Freina, Thomas J. Witt: Noctuoidea, Sphingoidea, Geometroidea, Bombycoidea. In: The Bombyces and Sphinges of the Western Palaearctic. 1st edition. 1, EFW Edition Research & Science, Munich 1987, ISBN 3-926285-00-1 , p. 166/167
- ↑ Butterflies and their ecology
literature
- Josef J. de Freina, Thomas J. Witt: Noctuoidea, Sphingoidea, Geometroidea, Bombycoidea. In: The Bombyces and Sphinges of the Western Palaearctic. 1st edition. 1, EFW Edition Research & Science, Munich 1987, ISBN 3-926285-00-1 , p. 166/167
Web links
- Lepiforum eV - taxonomy and photos
- euroleps.ch - photos
- lepidoptera.eu - dissemination
- Atlantarctia tigrina at Fauna Europaea. Retrieved November 17, 2015