Tansy monk
| Tansy monk | ||||||||||||
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Tansy monk caterpillar on common yarrow ( Achillea millefolium ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Cucullia tanaceti | ||||||||||||
| ( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775) |
The tansy monk ( Cucullia tanaceti ) is a butterfly from the owl butterfly family (Noctuidae).
features
The moth has gray-brown patterned front wings. The hind wings are white with brown edges and veins. The span is 40–48 mm. The caterpillars are white. They have yellow vertical stripes and a black pattern of spots.
There are several related species whose moths are very similar to those of the tansy monk:
- Herbal Monk ( Cucullia lucifuga )
- Lettuce monk ( Cucullia lactucae )
- Shadow monk ( Cucullia umbratica ).
The caterpillars, on the other hand, are distinctive due to their pattern.
Occurrence
The range of the butterfly species stretches from North Africa across Southern Europe, parts of Central Europe to the Near East (Iran and Turkestan). The tansy monk prefers sandy, poor grass areas as habitats.
Way of life
The butterflies fly in two generations from April to early June and from July to September. The caterpillars generally feed on the daisy family . The forage plants of the caterpillars in summer include the yarrow ( Achillea ), wild flowers ( Tanacetum ), dog chamomiles ( Anthemis ) and santolina ( Santolina ). The caterpillars of the autumn season feed mainly on plants of the genus Artemisia . The butterfly species overwinters as a pupa.
Taxonomy
The following synonyms and name combinations are known from the literature :
- Noctua tanaceti ( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775)
- Cucullia beata ( Rothschild , 1920)
Individual evidence
Web links
- lepiforum.de taxonomy and photos
- pyrgus.de taxonomy and photos
- www.lepidoptera.eu (Polish)