Thyme pussycat

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Thyme pussycat
Eupithecia distinctaria (NH266) (14543211816) .jpg

Thyme moth ( Eupithecia distinctaria )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Spanner (Geometridae)
Subfamily : Larentiinae
Genre : Moth ( Eupithecia )
Type : Thyme pussycat
Scientific name
Eupithecia distinctaria
Herrich-Schäffer , 1848
Field thyme,
the main food of the caterpillars

The Thyme Pug ( Eupithecia distinctaria ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the tensioner (Geometridae). The specific epithet is based on the Latin word distinctus with the meaning "different". The first descriptor Herrich-Schäffer chose this name because he separated the species from Eupithecia pimpinellata .

features

butterfly

The wingspan of the moth is 14 to 21 millimeters. The basic color of all wings varies from ash gray to brownish gray. The black, elongated discoidal spot on the upper side of the forewing stands out clearly . There are three blackish spots on the front edge , from which indistinct transverse lines emanate. The hind wings are slightly lightened in the basal region . The fringes on all wings are piebald. The abdomen is a single color gray to gray-brown.

Caterpillar

Adult caterpillars are smooth and slender. They are mostly greenish in color and show a broad red stripe on the back. Sometimes single-colored red specimens appear. With these colors they are excellently camouflaged on the flowers of their food plants.

Doll

The yellowish brown pupa is provided with green wing sheaths. There are six hook bristles on the cremaster .

Similar species

  • The beaver pimp ( Eupithecia pimpinellata ) differs by a dark brown saddle on the second abdomen segment.
  • Freshly hatched moths of the umbelliferous moth ( Eupithecia extraversaria ) shimmer slightly purple-gray. The caterpillars differ significantly, with E. extraversaria showing a strong red-brown mark on each body segment.

The fringes in the butterflies of the two aforementioned species are not or only very weakly piebald. In the case of specimens that have flown away, a reliable determination is usually only possible by means of a genital morphological examination.

Distribution and occurrence

The distribution of the species extends from the Iberian Peninsula through western and central Europe including the British Isles and further east to Russia and Iran . In the north the area extends into southern Fennoscandinavia , in the south the Mediterranean area and Asia Minor are populated.

The thyme moth occurs primarily on warm, stony slopes and rocky structures as well as on poor grass areas with thyme cushions. In the Alps it rises to heights of 2000 meters.

Way of life

The main flight time of the crepuscular and nocturnal moths falls from May to July. In climatically favorable zones, individual moths of a second generation appear in August or September. They are easily attracted by artificial light sources . The eggs are laid close under the flower buds or in the corners of the calyx of the food plant. The caterpillars feed on the flowers and fruits of field thyme ( Thymus pulegioides ) and other types of thyme ( Thymus ), sometimes also on common dost ( Origanum vulgare ) , until pupation . The species overwinters in the pupal stage.

Danger

The thyme moth occurs mostly locally and rarely in the individual federal states in Germany and is classified as "endangered" on the Red List of Endangered Species . In Baden-Württemberg it is “endangered”.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Arnold Spuler: The butterflies of Europe , Volume 2, E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, 1910, p. 73
  2. ↑ a b c d e Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 9. Moths VII. Geometridae 2nd part . 1st edition. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2003, ISBN 3-8001-3279-6 . , Pp. 226-229
  3. ↑ Vladimir Mironov: The Geometrid Moths of the World . In: Axel Hausmann (Ed.): The Geometrid Moths of Europe . 1st edition. Volume 4: Larentiinae II. Perizomini and Eupitheciini . Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2003, ISBN 87-88757-40-4 (English). , Pp. 233-235
  4. ↑ Thyme moth caterpillar
  5. ↑ caterpillar of the umbelliferae for comparison
  6. ↑ Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 5: Spanner. (Geometridae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-440-04951-5 , p. 179.
  7. ↑ Manfred Koch , Wolfgang Heinicke, Bernd Müller: We determine butterflies. Volume 4: Spanner. 2nd, improved and enlarged edition. Neumann, Leipzig / Radebeul 1976, DNB 780451570 , pp. 178-179.
  8. ↑ Endangerment

literature

  • Vladimir Mironov: The Geometrid Moths of the World . In: Axel Hausmann (Ed.): The Geometrid Moths of Europe . 1st edition. Volume 4: Larentiinae II. Perizomini and Eupitheciini . Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2003, ISBN 87-88757-40-4 (English).
  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 9. Moths VII. Geometridae 2nd part . 1st edition. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2003, ISBN 3-8001-3279-6 .

Web links

Commons : Thyme Moth  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files