Cream-spot tiger | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
Family: | Erebidae |
Subfamily: | Arctiinae |
Genus: | Arctia |
Species: | A. villica |
Binomial name | |
Arctia villica | |
Synonyms | |
Arctia villica, the cream-spot tiger, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is distributed from the Iberian Peninsula, Anatolia, western and northern Iran, western Siberia, southwestern Asia and North Africa. [1]
This species, along with the others of the genus Epicallia, was moved to Arctia as a result of phylogenetic research published by Rönkä et al. in 2016. [2]
The wingspan of these moths reaches 45–60 mm. [3] They have black or greyish forewings with white and cream broad patches and spots. The bright red/orange hind wings have black spots. The thorax is black and the abdomen is reddish-orange. The highly coloured parts are bright scarlet on a newly emerged insect and tend to dull to orange with age. The caterpillars are black with light brown tufts of hairs, while the head and the legs are reddish. They can reach a length of about 12–12 mm.
The moths are nocturnal and attracted by light, but the females fly also during the day. By day these moths can be found resting on leaves. Moths of this species fly from March to July depending on the location.
The caterpillars feed on a variety of herbaceous plants, mainly dandelion ( Taraxacum species), plantains ( Plantago species), deadnettles ( Lamium species), yarrow ( Achillea species), blackberries ( Rubus species), nettles ( Urtica species), knapweeds ( Centaurea species) and strawberries ( Fragaria species). [4]
They overwinter, but they are relatively sensitive to frost. They can be seen in the spring after hibernation while feeding or seeking for suitable places to pupate. They pupate in May on the ground.
This species inhabits woodland, areas with bushes and hedges and sunny open grassy areas. [3]
The cream-spot tiger appeared in 1992 on the German stamp of 100+50 pfennigs.
The Arctiinae are a large and diverse subfamily of moths with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species. This subfamily includes the groups commonly known as tiger moths, which usually have bright colours, footmen, which are usually much drabber, lichen moths, and wasp moths. Many species have "hairy" caterpillars that are popularly known as woolly bears or woolly worms. The scientific name Arctiinae refers to this hairiness. Some species within the Arctiinae have the word "tussock"' in their common names because they have been misidentified as members of the Lymantriinae subfamily based on the characteristics of the larvae.
Saturnia pavonia, the small emperor moth, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Sometimes, the incorrect genus name Pavonia is still used for this species. This moth occurs throughout the Palearctic region and is the only member of its family to be found in the British Isles, where it is usually called simply the emperor moth.
The bright-line brown-eye is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is a common species throughout Europe, but is also found in North Africa, temperate North Asia and Central Asia, Asia Minor, Syria, and Turkestan, northern India, China, Korea and Japan.
Daphnis nerii, the oleander hawk-moth or army green moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The garden tiger moth or great tiger moth is a moth of the family Erebidae. Arctia caja is a northern species found in the US, Canada, and Europe. The moth prefers cold climates with temperate seasonality, as the larvae overwinter, and preferentially chooses host plants that produce pyrrolizidine alkaloids. However, garden tiger moths are generalists, and will pick many different plants to use as larval host plants.
Hyles gallii, the bedstraw hawk-moth or galium sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by S. A. von Rottemburg in 1775.
Macrothylacia rubi, the fox moth, is a lepidopteran belonging to the family Lasiocampidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Angerona is a monotypic moth genus in the family Geometridae erected by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1829. Its only species, Angerona prunaria, the orange moth, was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The nine-spotted moth or yellow belted burnet is a moth in the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Arctia is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae. Therein, it belongs to the subtribe Arctiina in the tribe Arctiini in the subfamily Arctiinae. Species are well distributed throughout North America, Palearctic, India, and Sri Lanka.
Utetheisa pulchella, the crimson-speckled flunkey, crimson-speckled footman, or crimson-speckled moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Atolmis rubricollis, the red-necked footman, is a small moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in the summer in forested regions of Europe and Northern Asia. This moth was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Spiris striata, the feathered footman, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Leucoma salicis, the white satin moth or satin moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in Europe including the British Isles but not the far north. In the east it is found across the Palearctic to Japan. Also in North America where it was introduced in the 1920s.
Arctia matronula is species of tiger moth in the family Erebidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It can be found in central and eastern Europe, Kazakhstan, southern Siberia, northern Mongolia, Amur Region, Primorye, Sakhalin, Kunashir, northern and northeastern China, Korea and Japan.
Arctia virginalis, the Ranchman's tiger moth, is a species of tiger moth in the family Erebidae. It was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1852.
Arctia aulica, the brown tiger moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Cosmorhoe is a monotypic moth genus in the family Geometridae erected by Jacob Hübner in 1825. Its only species, Cosmorhoe ocellata, the purple bar, was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Arctia testudinaria, or Patton's tiger, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Geoffroy in 1785. It is found from northern Spain to southern and central France and southern Switzerland to north-eastern and southern Italy. It has also been recorded from Great Britain. The habitat consists of grasslands, slopes, forest edges, clear dry forests, cliffs and mountain slopes, maquis, garrigues and dry meadows.
Polytela gloriosae, the Indian lily moth or lily caterpillar, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1781. It is found in Sri Lanka, India and probably in Indonesia.