Yellow-brown toothed spinner
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Yellow-brown toothed spinner ( Notodonta torva ) |
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| ( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775) |
The yellow-brown toothed spinner ( Notodonta torva ) is a rare, partially endangered butterfly ( moth ) from the family of toothed spinners (Notodontidae). In English Notodonta torva has the name "Large Dark Prominent".
features
butterfly
Males and females of Notodonta torva have a wingspan of 38 to 48 millimeters. The front wings are dirty gray in color and more or less dusty yellowish gray. They have two clear transverse lines, which, however, differ in strength. The discoidal spot has a whitish border. The hind wings are gray and have a light band. The anal angle is darkened and colored smoke gray. The wing edge is white and has occasional black fringes, which can also dominate the white. Males and females are similar, but the latter are slightly larger. The antennae of the animals are only slightly combed.
Caterpillars
The adult caterpillar of the Notodonta torva is about 20 mm in size. The basic color of the newly hatched caterpillar is gray, mixed with yellow and purple. The caterpillar has grown up after just 4 weeks. During this short time, it sheds its skin several times and changes its color pattern. The adult caterpillar is dark purple in color and at this stage is somewhat reminiscent of the caterpillar of the zigzag toothed spinner . The back is covered by a black stripe with a white border. In addition, the caterpillar has three large, pointed humps there to deter predators. The stigmas on the side are also black with a white border. The head is heart-shaped and brown with black spots.
Similar species
The zigzag toothed spinner ( Notodonta ziczac ) is often confused with Notodonta torva , as the caterpillars of the respective moths look very similar.
Notodonta torva is very similar to Heterocampa lunata , which only occurs in western North America. The males of these moths have a longer double antenna and a more brownish color on the thorax and forewings.
Notodonta torva is often referred to as the aspen tooth spinner ( Notodonta tritophus ) ( etymology : tritophus: "the one with three nodes", tophus: gout node ; refers to the caterpillar of Notodonta tritophus , as it often has 3 bumps.)
Pheromones
The female Notodonta torva has a hormonal gland in the space between the 8th and 9th segment of the abdomen, which, when ready to mate, emits an extract that is recognized by the males through the antennae. This gland extract can be broken down into its individual parts by gas chromatography . Among other things, the (11 Z, 13Z) - 11,13-hexadecadienyl acetate is a component of this excreta and is regarded as an independent sexual attractant of the female Notodonta torva . No sex attractant is known in any other species of the Notodontidae . This peculiarity was discovered in an experiment using synthetic pheromones .
Occurrence and distribution
It is a very rare species that we know relatively little about.
Notodonta torva occurs in hardwoods , especially in deciduous and mixed forests in the plains and in the hills or mountains. Likewise in softwood edges and aisles rich in bushes, coniferous and coniferous forests . The yellow-brown toothed moth can also be found in bog edge forests and bogs , alluvial forests , areas on river banks and aspen bushes as well as in boreal forests . It is remarkable that it can be found at a height of up to 800 m.
The animals are distributed from Eastern France through Central and Northern Europe, through the temperate zone to Eastern Asia (Japan) and North America. In the south the area border runs north of the Balkans to the Black Sea , in the north through the Fennoscandische Schild to the Arctic Circle . In Italy you can still find them in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria , rarely or not at all further south.
In the Pacific Northwest of America, this species was found only in British Columbia (extended north to the Peace River along the eastern border of the province to Burns Lake in the north-central part of the area). It can also be found in northern forests in North America from the Atlantic coast to British Columbia. This area stretches from Alberta to Labrador and New York . Farthest away, Notodonta torva occurs south of central USA in Illinois and Oklahoma .
In Germany, it occurs mainly in Baden-Württemberg . There, the northern part of the area has its focus in the Tauberland . Individual finds indicate a northern extension to the Main and a southern over the Kocher-Jagst plain. The southern part of the area remains limited to Upper Swabia . There are also older finds at Lake Constance and the Hohentwiel , as well as Karlsruhe , Heidelberg , Mannheim , Stuttgart , Tübingen , Möckmühl , Alberweiler , Kaiserstuhl , Freiburg Bay , Markgräfler Rhine Plain near Neuchâtel and the Pforzheim area . These older finds are not confirmed by any more recent ones.
Way of life
The adult Notodonta torva are nocturnal and fly to artificial light sources such as street lamps and illuminated shop windows at night.
During the day they often sit on tree trunks and rest. During this phase they are quite lazy and will pretend to be dead if predators are nearby.
development
The female lays her eggs on the caterpillar's forage plants. Just one week after the egg was laid, the caterpillar hatches and eats its way through the nutrient-rich egg shell. Initially the caterpillar is only a few mm small, but it grows very quickly. It lives from June to July and from August to October mostly on willows, aspens and various poplars. It develops in short periods of time.
The caterpillar feeds on parts of oak , willow , pyramid poplar , silver poplar (Populus alba), quivering poplar or aspen (Populus tremula). The fully grown caterpillar begins to pupate and spins its cocoon from remains of leaves and crumbs in or on the ground . This web has a red-brown color for camouflage.
The metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly takes place in this protective cover . The entire body is redesigned and the organs are transformed. The fully developed moth of the first generation from June to July can hatch after just 9 days. The second generation from August to October can also remain as a doll over the winter and only hatch in the spring of the following year. Every year, Notodonta torva occurs in two generations of butterflies.
Hazard and protection
In Germany , Notodonta torva is represented several times on the red list and is therefore classified as endangered. In the Upper Rhine Plain, in Neckar-Tauberland and in Upper Swabia, it is endangered and regionally already extinct or lost. It is not represented in the Black Forest or the Swabian Alb. Notodonta torva is endangered in Baden-Württemberg . Almost 30 sites with old and partly unconfirmed data were known when the classification was made "critically endangered". Meanwhile, the locations have increased by almost 50%. The moth can be detected in two parts of Baden-Württemberg. However, the endangerment cannot yet be ruled out, since the habitats of the Notodonta torva are repeatedly encroached upon, for example in softwood areas on the edge of flowing and still waters as well as in ditches on the damp valley floor. According to the current state of knowledge, the classification in "highly endangered" is not sufficiently justified.
supporting documents
literature
- Josef J. de Freina, Thomas J. Witt: Noctuoidea, Sphingoidea, Geometroidea, Bombycoidea . In: The Bombyces and Sphinges of the Western Palaearctic . 1st edition. tape 1 . EFW Edition Research & Science, Munich 1987, ISBN 3-926285-00-1 .
- Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 4: Moths. 2. Special Part: Bombycidae, Endromidae, Lasiocampidae, Lemoniidae, Saturniidae, Sphingidae, Drepanidae, Notodontidae, Dilobidae, Lymantriidae, Ctenuchidae, Nolidae. Ulmer Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1994, ISBN 3-8001-3474-8 .
- Ivo Novák, Frantǐsek Severa: Impariamo a conoscere le farfalle. Instituto Geografico De Agostini SpA, Novara 1983.
- Paul Smart: Enciclopedia illustrata delle farfalle. Oltre 2000 specie da tutto il mondo. Arnoldo Mondadori Editore SpA, Milano 1984, ISBN 88-415-3177-0 .
- Hans-Josef Weidemann, Jochen Köhler: Moths. Weirdos and hawkers. Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1996, ISBN 3-89440-128-1 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Josef J. de Freina, Thomas J. Witt: Noctuoidea, Sphingoidea, Geometroidea, Bombycoidea . In: The Bombyces and Sphinges of the Western Palaearctic . 1st edition. tape 1 . EFW Edition Research & Science, Munich 1987, ISBN 3-926285-00-1 , p. 255 .
- ↑ a b Weidemann, Köhler: Moths: Spinners and swarmers. 1996.
- ↑ a b c PNW Moths | Notodonta torva Retrieved January 12, 2013
- ↑ a b c Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 4: Moths. 2. Special Part: Bombycidae, Endromidae, Lasiocampidae, Lemoniidae, Saturniidae, Sphingidae, Drepanidae, Notodontidae, Dilobidae, Lymantriidae, Ctenuchidae, Nolidae. 1994, p. 308 ff.
- ^ Lepiforum . Retrieved January 12, 2013
- ^ Natural Sciences | Springer-Verlag 1991 . Retrieved January 12, 2013
- ↑ Euroleps.ch . Retrieved January 12, 2013
- ↑ Novak, Severa: Impariamo a conoscere le farfalle. 1983, p. 206 f.
- ↑ a b ButterflyCorner | Lifecycle Retrieved on January 15, 2013
- ^ Wuppertal Natural Science Association | Puppenstadium Accessed on January 15, 2013
Web links
- Pieris.ch. Retrieved January 12, 2013 .
- Euroleps.ch. Retrieved January 12, 2013 .
- lepiforum.de, photos. Retrieved January 12, 2013 .