Hardwood sack carrier

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Hardwood sack carrier
Sterrhopterix fusca.male.jpg

Hardwood sack carrier ( Sterrhopterix fusca )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Real sack carriers (Psychidae)
Subfamily : Oiketicinae
Genre : Sterrhopterix
Type : Hardwood sack carrier
Scientific name
Sterrhopterix fusca
( Haworth , 1809)
Hardwood sack carrier male caterpillar sac

The hardwood sack carrier ( Sterrhopterix fusca ), also known as the wire- haired sack carrier , is a butterfly from the family of the real sack carrier (Psychidae).

features

butterfly

The adult animals are characterized by a clear sexual dimorphism . The wings of the males reach a span of about 16 to 20 millimeters, are not marked, translucent, light brownish-gray and thinly scaly. The veins stand out more clearly. Their antennae are provided with short comb teeth. The maggot-like , yellowish-white colored females have a cylindrical body and are about 6 to 8 millimeters long. They have neither developed antennae nor wings , and the legs are stunted to stumps.

Caterpillar, pupa

The caterpillars have a light brown color, the head and thorax a dark brown color, the first segments are provided with wide, light longitudinal bands. You spin yourself into a sack-like living tube. Their inner shape is round. On the outside, the caterpillar attaches parts of plant stems, pieces of leaf or tree needles, so that the silk bag is enveloped in a quiver made of organic substances and resembles those of the caddis flies ( Trichoptera ) living in water . The mean outer diameter is about 4 to 6 millimeters, the length about 12 to 16 millimeters. The organic foreign materials are spun irregularly. At the rear end, part of the web is not covered by plant material. There is a whitish end tube, where the empty, brown pupae can also be seen after the males have hatched . The whitish end tube is missing from the female sack covers, which are also somewhat shorter as a result.

Similar species

The similarly colored male moths of the mountain moor sack-bearer ( Sterrhopterix standfussi ) are usually easy to distinguish because of their larger wingspan of around 22 to 26 millimeters. The bags are also significantly larger with a length of 22 millimeters.

Distribution and occurrence

The species is widespread in temperate Europe from England through central Europe (including the Alpine region), eastwards to far into Russia , north to Fennoscandinavia , the Baltic States and Karelia . The southern border runs from northern Italy to Romania . The animals are mainly found in birch bogs, swamp forests, mixed forests and heaths.

Way of life

The moths fly in one generation from mid-June to mid-July. The caterpillars can be found from August and after two wintering periods until May of the year after next. During the entire caterpillar stage, the caterpillar remains in its protective cover and also pupates in it. Only the male adult butterfly leaves the caterpillar sac and seeks out the flightless female to mate. The males have an extremely short lifespan of only a few hours, which is also characteristic of other species of the true bag-bearer . They like to visit artificial light sources . The caterpillars feed polyphagously on many different plants, of which only a selection is mentioned here:

and other. The male larval sac is attached to posts, masts, trees and guardrails, mostly exposed at heights between 0.5 and 1.0 meters. The female sack covers are more difficult to recognize, usually at heights of up to 2.5 meters.

Danger

The species is widespread in Germany and can usually be found in large numbers, so that it is not considered endangered.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Günter Ebert: The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . 1st edition. tape 3 . Moths I. Root borer (Hepialidae), wood borer (Cossidae), ram (Zygaenidae), snail moth (Limacodidae), sack bearer (Psychidae), window stain (Thyrididae) . Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1994, ISBN 3-8001-3472-1 , p. 484 .
  2. ↑ a b Manfred Koch : We identify butterflies. Volume 2: Bears, Spinners, Swarmers and Drills in Germany. 2nd, expanded edition. Neumann, Radebeul / Berlin 1964, DNB 452481929 .
  3. ↑ Walter Forster, Theodor A. Wohlfahrt: The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 3: Weirdos and Swarmers. (Bombyces and Sphinges). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1960, DNB 456642196 .
  4. ^ Günter Ebert: The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . 1st edition. tape 3 . Moths I. Root borer (Hepialidae), wood borer (Cossidae), ram (Zygaenidae), snail moth (Limacodidae), sack bearer (Psychidae), window stain (Thyrididae) . Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1994, ISBN 3-8001-3472-1 , p. 487 .

literature

  • Günter Ebert: The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . 1st edition. tape 3 . Moths I. Root borer (Hepialidae), wood borer (Cossidae), ram (Zygaenidae), snail moth (Limacodidae), sack bearer (Psychidae), window stain (Thyrididae) . Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1994, ISBN 3-8001-3472-1 .
  • Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 3: Weirdos and Swarmers. (Bombyces and Sphinges). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1960, DNB 456642196 .

Web links

Commons : Hardwood Sack Carrier  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files