Harlequin bear
| Harlequin bear | ||||||||||||
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Harlequin Bear ( Utetheisa pulchella ), Canary Islands |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Utetheisa pulchella | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The harlequin bear or point bear ( Utetheisa pulchella ) is a moth from the subfamily of the bear moth (Arctiinae).
features
The moths reach a wingspan of 29 to 42 millimeters. They are very noticeably colored. The forewings are white with numerous red and black spots. The hind wings are light blue and unevenly gray on the edge. Individual gray points can be found next to the gray areas. They are also white around the head with red and black spots. The abdomen is pure white.
The caterpillars are gray and have white lines on their backs and sides. In addition, each segment has an orange cross line. The body is covered with numerous black warts from which gray hairs grow.
Occurrence
The animals are mainly found in Africa , the Mediterranean , Central and Southeast Asia , but are also found in Central Europe north of the Alps as migrant butterflies . They are also occasionally found in Great Britain , but only around 100 have been spotted there.
Way of life
They live in one or two generations, depending on their occurrence, but in the tropics these arise continuously. The nocturnal animals occur in Central Europe in autumn and sometimes also fly during the day.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on forget-me-nots ( Myosotis spec. ), Borage ( Borago spec. ), Solstices ( Heliotropium spec. ) And other predatory plants.
Development path
The caterpillars pupate in a web between leaves on the ground.
swell
literature
- Roger Philips, David Carter: Cosmos Atlas Butterfly Guide, European Day and Night Butterflies. Franckh-Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 1991, ISBN 3-440-06306-2 .
