Birch fork tail

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Birch fork tail
Furcula bicuspis.jpg

Birch forktail ( Furcula bicuspis )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Toothed Moth (Notodontidae)
Subfamily : Stauropinae
Genre : Furcula
Type : Birch fork tail
Scientific name
Furcula bicuspis
( Borkhausen , 1790)

The birch fork tail ( Furcula bicuspis ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the tooth spinner family (Notodontidae).

features

Imago

The moths reach a wingspan of 30 to 45 millimeters, with the females being larger than the males. They have whitish forewings with a gray central band. The species differs from the very similar beech fork tail ( Furcula furcula ) and the similarly similar small fork tail ( Furcula bifida ) by the strongly constricted dark transverse band of the forewings, the sharply developed edge points of the wings and the somewhat whiter basic color.

egg

The eggs are purple-black in color.

Caterpillar

The caterpillars are yellow-green in color and have a brown, yellow-edged back markings. This drawing on the back is expanded triangular in the middle, but is not related to the thorax spot of the same color. The abdomen ends in a straight tail fork with two long reddish tips.

Doll

The doll is stocky and colored black-brown.

Similar species

Occurrence

The species is widespread in Central Europe, but is not common anywhere. It is not found in the high mountains. Preferred flight areas are heather and park landscapes as well as mixed forest slopes.

Way of life

The female moths lay the eggs in small groups on the underside of the leaves of the forage plant. The caterpillars then feed on the leaves of birch ( Betula ) or alder ( Alnus ). Like other fork-tailed caterpillars, they adopt a frightened position when they are disturbed or disturbed by pulling their heads back, lifting the front and rear ends and everting the tail threads. They can also squirt a sharp secretion from a gland. Pupation takes place in a solid web made of chipped wood chips on tree trunks or branches. The overwintering takes place as a pupa .

Flight and caterpillar times

The nocturnal moths fly in two generations mainly from late April to mid-July and again from late July to late August. The caterpillars are found in July and August.

Synonyms

  • Cerura bicuspis
  • Harpyia bicuspis

swell

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Walter Forster, Theodor A. Wohlfahrt: The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 3: Weirdos and Swarmers. (Bombyces and Sphinges). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1960, DNB 456642196 .
  2. ↑ Manfred Koch : We identify butterflies. Volume 2: Bears, Spinners, Swarmers and Drills in Germany. 2nd, expanded edition. Neumann, Radebeul / Berlin 1964, DNB 452481929 .

Web links

Wiktionary: Birch fork tail  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Birch Fork Tail  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files