Birch moth
| Birch moth | ||||||||||
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Endromis versicolora ♂ |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Endromidae | ||||||||||
| Meyrick , 1895 |
The birch moths (Endromidae) are a family of butterflies (Lepidoptera). So far it only includes one species , the birch moth ( Endromis versicolora ), which is also found in Central Europe . Some authors assign the genus Dalailama , which occurs in Tibet , to the birch spiders instead of the real spiders (Bombycoidae). The range of the family is the Palearctic .
features
The moths reach a wingspan of 55 to 92 millimeters, the males are significantly smaller than the females. Their bodies are very plump, similar to that of the mother hen (Lasiocampidae). The front wings are wide and only about twice longer than wide. The hind wings are roughly the same width as the fore wings and strongly rounded. The antennae, which are double combed in both sexes, are short and only reach 30 to 40% of the forewing length. The maxillary palps are strongly regressed or absent, like the proboscis . The labial palps , from which it is difficult to identify a structure, are short but well developed.
The fore wings have 12 or 13 wing veins with one or two anal arteries (1b or 1b and 1c), and it appears that the males, unlike the females, have two anal arteries. The hind wings have 8 or 9 veins with two anal veins (1a and 1b).
Way of life
The female moths are nocturnal. The males fly in search of females during the day, but they also fly to light sources at night. They only live briefly to reproduce as they cannot ingest food.
The caterpillars feed mainly on the leaves of the birch family (Betulaceae), but they are also found on the linden family (Tilioideae) and elm family (Ulmaceae). They pupate in a cocoon that is either spun on the ground or in the vegetation.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ Endromidae. Fauna Europaea, accessed January 4, 2007 .
- ↑ Endromidae. Lepiforum eV, accessed on January 4, 2007 .
Web links
- British Insects: the Families of Lepidoptera
- Endromidae in Fauna Europaea