Reed brush moth
| Reed brush moth | ||||||||||||
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Males and females |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Laelia coenosa | ||||||||||||
| ( Huebner , 1808) |
The reed brush spinner or yellow leg ( Laelia coenosa ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the subfamily of the tussock moths (Lymantriinae) within the family of cutworm (Noctuidae).
features
The moths reach a wingspan of 35 to 50 millimeters. The males have light ocher forewings, which have slightly lighter areas. Sometimes they have dark spots on the forewing margin. The front wings of the females, like their hind wings, are pure white. The hind wings of the males are a little lighter than their fore wings. It is noticeable that the legs of both sexes are clearly colored yellow, which is why they are also called yellow legs. The antennae of the males are large and heavily combed.
The caterpillars are about 45 millimeters long. They have a slim build and are yellowish green in color, but can also have orange or black drawing elements. They have lots of tufts of hair with long, yellow hair. In addition, they have four to seven dense, yellow-orange colored brushes on the segments. On the eleventh segment, they also have a backward-facing and, on the side of the first segment, a further, longer, thin, dark tuft of hair that is directed forward.
Occurrence
The moths occur mainly in south-eastern Europe . In and around Central Europe they occur only occasionally, such as B. around Lake Neusiedl , in eastern northern Germany, in the Po Valley and in the Camargue . They live on the edge of water or in moors and other wetlands with large stocks of reeds and sedges .
Way of life
The moths are attracted by artificial light, but these are mostly females.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed mainly on reeds ( Phragmites australis ) and also on other sweet and sour grasses , such as. B. Rush edge ( Cladium mariscus ), fescue ( Festuca ) and sedges ( Carex ).
Flight and caterpillar times
The adults fly in one generation from the end of July to the end of August, the caterpillars are found from September and after wintering until June. A second generation flies in the warmer south between August and September.
development
The females lay their cylindrical, flat eggs in rows on grass. The hatching caterpillars sit freely on the plants, which is why they are easy to spot. After hibernating, they pupate on their forage plants in an oval, yellowish cocoon into which the caterpillar hairs are spun. At the front end of the cocoon you will find the dark, long hair that forms the release fry there.
Hazard and protection
- Red list FRG: 2 (endangered).
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Heiko Bellmann : The new cosmos butterfly guide. Butterflies, caterpillars and forage plants. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-440-09330-1 , p. 290.
- ^ A b c Hans-Josef Weidemann, Jochen Köhler: Moths. Weirdos and hawkers. Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1996, ISBN 3-89440-128-1 , p. 360f.
- ↑ Manfred Koch : We identify butterflies. Volume 3: Owls. 2nd, expanded edition. Neumann, Leipzig / Radebeul 1972, DNB 760072930 , p. 86f.
- ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany. Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 978-3-896-24110-8
Web links
- Lepiforum e. V. Taxonomy and Photos
- Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa (English)
- Laelia coenosa at Fauna Europaea