Dandruff tooth moth

Dandruff tooth moth
	Hairy tooth moth ( Ptilophora plumigera )
Systematics
Class :	Insects (Insecta)
Order :	Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family :	Toothed Moth (Notodontidae)
Subfamily :	Notodontinae
Genre :	Ptilophora
Type :	Dandruff tooth moth
Scientific name
	Ptilophora plumigera
	( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775)

Specimen of a male moth of the dandruff tooth spinner

Hair flake tooth moth caterpillar

The hair-shed tooth moth ( Ptilophora plumigera ), sometimes also referred to as autumn tooth moth or maple autumn moth , is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of tooth moth (Notodontidae).

features

Imago

The moths reach a wingspan of 30 to 40 millimeters. They vary greatly in the color of the wings, from light yellow-brown to blackish. The scales are thinner than other types of tooth spinner. The wings are narrow. The antennae of the male have very long double comb teeth reaching to the tip, while the antennae of the female are short sawtooth-like. The palps are short, the trunk withered. The head and thorax are long woolly, the abdomen is hairy for a shorter period. Due to the narrow wings, the thin scales and the late flight time, the moth is not to be confused.

egg

The egg is arched, hemispherical and slightly flattened at the pole. It is dark brown with light rings.

Caterpillar

The caterpillar becomes up to 30 millimeters long, is shiny light green and has two narrow white back lines.

Doll

The doll is dark brown, spotted with black, with a pointed cremaster and a strikingly thin shell.

Occurrence

The animals are widespread in Europe , not uncommon in some areas, and occur east to Russia , south to the Caucasus and north to southern Scandinavia . They live in different habitats, such as dry to moderately moist deciduous forests, warm slopes as well as parks and gardens.

Way of life

The moths are nocturnal, like to fly to artificial light sources and appear annually in one generation, mainly in November and December. This makes the hair flake tooth spinner the most popular tooth spinner in the year. Usually the moths only appear after the first night frosts. With an early onset of winter, they can also be found in early spring. The females lay the eggs in small groups on maple buds. The eggs overwinter. The caterpillars live in May and June and develop within three weeks under favorable temperature conditions. Pupation takes place on the ground in a loose web.

Food of the caterpillars

The caterpillars feed mainly on field maple ( Acer campestre ) and sycamore maple ( Acer pseudoplatanus ).

swell

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 2: Butterflies. (Rhopalocera and Hesperiidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1955, DNB 456642188 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Heiko Bellmann : The new cosmos butterfly guide. Butterflies, caterpillars and forage plants. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-440-09330-1 , p. 244.

Web links

Commons : Hair Dandruff Tooth Spinner - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

photos
Ptilophora plumigera at Fauna Europaea. Retrieved May 2, 2011

[Forster-1] Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 2: Butterflies. (Rhopalocera and Hesperiidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1955, DNB 456642188 .

[Bellmann-2] Heiko Bellmann : The new cosmos butterfly guide. Butterflies, caterpillars and forage plants. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-440-09330-1 , p. 244.