Birch owl moth
| Birch owl moth | ||||||||||||
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Birch Owl Moth ( Tetheella fluctuosa ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Tetheella fluctuosa | ||||||||||||
| ( Huebner , 1803) |
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The birch owl moth ( Tetheella fluctuosa ) is a butterfly from the family of the owl moth and sickle winged moth (Drepanidae).
features
The moths reach a wingspan of 35 to 38 millimeters. They have a relatively slim build. The forewings are grayish white and are characterized by a thick dark transverse band. The hind wings are again white and have gray bands.
The caterpillars are gray-green or beige-gray in color. They are lighter on the underside. They are speckled with small white dots all over and on the sides of the back with larger black dots.
Occurrence
The birch owl moths are found particularly in Central Europe , the southern parts of Scandinavia and the British Isles . They appear to the east as far as Japan . Their preferred habitat are light birch forests in the light mountain location, which explains their name. But the moths also feel at home in bogs bordering such forests .
Way of life
Flight and caterpillar times
The moths fly in one generation from early June to early August. In favorable years, a second generation can also train. The caterpillars are found from August to September.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed monophag on birch trees ( Betula ).
development
The females lay their light green eggs on the prongs on the edge of the top of the birch leaves. The caterpillars live between spun leaves and pupate in a web on the ground or in the ground before they overwinter.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ Manfred Koch : We identify butterflies. Volume 2: Bears, Spinners, Swarmers and Drills in Germany. 2nd, expanded edition. Neumann, Radebeul / Berlin 1964, DNB 452481929 , pp. 120f.
literature
- Hans-Josef Weidemann, Jochen Köhler: Moths. Weirdos and hawkers. Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1996, ISBN 3-89440-128-1 .
- Günter Ebert (Ed.): The Butterflies of Baden-Württemberg Volume 4, Moths II (Bombycidae, Endromidae, Lemoniidae, Saturniidae, Sphingidae, Drepanidae, Notodontidae, Dilobidae, Lymantriidae, Ctenuchidae, Nolidae). Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1994. ISBN 3-800-13474-8
Web links
- Lepiforum e. V. Taxonomy and Photos
- Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa (English)
- Guide to the moths of Great Britain and Ireland (English)
- Tetheella fluctuosa in Fauna Europaea