Brownish yellow hair tufts

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Brownish yellow hair tufts
Orange-yellow colored specimen of the brownish-yellow hair-tuft tensioner

Orange-yellow colored specimen of the brownish-yellow hair-tuft tensioner

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Spanner (Geometridae)
Subfamily : Larentiinae
Genre : Eulithis
Type : Brownish yellow hair tufts
Scientific name
Eulithis testata
( Linnaeus , 1761)
Violet-brown color variant of the brownish-yellow hair tuft tensioner in the typical resting position

The brownish yellow tuft tensioner ( Eulithis testata ), also known as Heather tufts of hair clamps or dwarf shrub-tuft tensioner called, is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the tensioner (Geometridae).

features

butterfly

The moths reach a wingspan of about 25 to 35 millimeters. The forewings show a variety of color variants, ranging from light yellow to orange yellow, reddish yellow to brownish yellow and purple brown. The middle field is always darkened and bordered by transverse lines that show a clear kink and also show an almost identical, parallel course. In the midfield itself there are one or two further transverse lines, which also have an almost parallel course, but are much weaker. In the respective color of the middle field, the root field also stands out, showing a pointed bulge outwards and a dark transverse line in the middle. The fringing area is often whitish and there is no wavy line. Below the apex there is a large, clear, crescent-shaped spot on the upper outer edge. The fringes are solid yellow-brown. The hind wings shimmer white, at the edge gray and are provided with indistinct gray transverse lines.

Caterpillar

Adult caterpillars have a light brownish color, a dark brown topline and whitish side stripes.

Similar species

  • The honey-yellow hair-tuft spanner ( Eulithis mallinata ) differs through the piebald fringes on the fore and hind wings, which is why it is sometimes also referred to as the "check-edge hair-tuft spanner". In addition, the transverse lines are not parallel.
  • The changeable hair-tuft tensioner ( Eulithis populata ) differs by the outer transverse line with two distinct prongs, which usually extends deep into the hem area.

Geographical distribution and occurrence

The distribution area extends from southwest and western Europe including the British Isles eastwards through Russia to the Urals , Altai and the Amur . In the north the species occurs beyond the Arctic Circle , in the south as far as the Alps and Carpathians . It is also found in North America . The brownish-yellow hair-tufts are preferred in dwarf shrub heather areas, on boggy areas, on forest edges rich in bushes and on bushy meadows.

Way of life

The moths are diurnal and nocturnal and fly univoltin from July to September. During the day they can be easily shooed out of the vegetation, at night they can sometimes be found sucking on the flowers of cane whistle grass ( Molinia arundinacea ) or ball bulrush ( Juncus conglomeratus ), at night they also visit artificial light sources . In their typical resting position, the moths remain with their antennae parallel to the back next to their backs and the end of their abdomen curved upwards. The caterpillars prefer to feed on the leaves of Sal willow ( Salix caprea ), bilberry ( Vaccinium myrtillus ) and heather ( Calluna vulgaris ), but have also been found on a variety of other plants. They live from May to July. The egg hibernates.

Danger

The brownish-yellow hair-tuft spanner occurs in different numbers in the German federal states and is on the red list of endangered species on the pre-warning list.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . 1st edition. tape 8 . Moth VI. Spanner (Geometridae) 1st part. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3497-7 .
  2. ↑ Manfred Koch , Wolfgang Heinicke, Bernd Müller: We determine butterflies. Volume 4: Spanner. 2nd, improved and enlarged edition. Neumann, Leipzig / Radebeul 1976, DNB 780451570 .
  3. ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany . Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9 .

literature

  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . 1st edition. tape 8 . Moth VI. Spanner (Geometridae) 1st part. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3497-7 .

Web links

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