Euthrix potatoria

Last updated

Euthrix potatoria
Philudoria potatoria m 9995.jpg
Male
Lasiocampidae - Euthrix potatoria.jpg
Female
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lasiocampidae
Genus: Euthrix
Species:
E. potatoria
Binomial name
Euthrix potatoria
Synonyms
  • Philudoria potatoria
Caterpillar Euthrix potatoria caterpillar (top view) - Keila.jpg
Caterpillar

Euthrix potatoria, the drinker, is an orange-brown moth of the family Lasiocampidae. [1]

Contents

The species' common and scientific names derive from the larva's supposed drinking of drops of dew. [2]

Name

The scientific name Euthryx potatoria was given to this moth by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. In choosing the name potatoria ‘drinker-like’, he was inspired by the Dutch entomologist Johannes Goedaert, who had called the animal dronckaerdt ‘drunkard’ “because it is very much inclined to drinking”. [3] This remark refers to the moth's habit of repeatedly plunging its head into the water. [4] The English name drinker (moth) also refers to Goedaert's analogy.

Subspecies

Subspecies include: [1]

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found in Europe. [5] The species is fairly common in the southern half of Britain.[ citation needed ] In Scotland, it is common in the west but not in the east of the country. [6] It is most frequently found in marshy places, fens and riversides but may also be seen in drier, grassy terrain. [7] [8]

Description

Imago

The imago has a wingspan of 45–65 mm. The yellowish females are slightly larger than the orange-brown male but both sexes usually show the two distinctive white spots on the forewing. [8] Females have slightly serrated antennae, while male have deeply combed antennae. [9]

Larvae and pupae

The fully grown larva is about 6 cm long, hairy, striped and spotted, with distinctive tufts fore and aft. Larvae hibernate while young and resume feeding in the spring, pupating in a cocoon during the summer. [7]

Biology

This nocturnal moth flies from June to August depending on the location. Males especially are attracted to light. [7] [8] The females lay their eggs in small clusters, mainly on the stem of grasses or reeds. [9] The larvae feed on various grasses and reeds ( Alopecurus , Deschampsia , Dactylis , Elytrigia , Carex , Luzula and other Gramineae ). [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luna moth</span> Species of insect

The luna moth, also called the American moon moth, is a Nearctic moth in the family Saturniidae, subfamily Saturniinae, a group commonly named the giant silk moths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghost moth</span> Species of moth

The ghost moth or ghost swift is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It is common throughout Europe, except for the far south-east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common swift moth</span> Species of moth

The common swift is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It was previously placed in the genus Hepialus. It is a common, often abundant European species. The species was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

<i>Saturnia pavonia</i> Species of moth

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scalloped oak</span> Species of moth

The scalloped oak is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bordered white</span> Species of moth

The bordered white or pine looper, is a moth of the family Geometridae. Among these, it belongs to tribe Bupalini of the subfamily Ennominae. B. piniaria is a common species throughout the western Palearctic region, the Near East and North Africa. However, its presence in certain regions – e.g. the northern Balkans – is doubtful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown-tail moth</span> Species of moth

The brown-tail moth is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is native to Europe, neighboring countries in Asia, and the north coast of Africa. Descriptions of outbreaks, i.e., large population increases of several years duration, have been reported as far back as the 1500s. The life cycle of the moth is atypical, in that it spends approximately nine months as larvae (caterpillars), leaving about one month each for pupae, imagos and eggs. Larvae (caterpillars) are covered in hairs. Two red spots on the back, toward the tail, distinguish these species from other similarly hairy moth larvae. The winged adults have white wings and a hairy white body with a tuft of brown hair at the tip of the abdomen. Females lay one egg cluster, usually on the underside of a leaf of a host plant. The species is polyphagous, meaning that it feeds on many different species of trees, including pear, apple, maple and oak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart and dart</span> Species of moth

The heart and dart is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. A familiar moth to many, it is considered one of the most common of the European region. It occurs throughout the Palearctic realm from Ireland to Japan.

<i>Acherontia atropos</i> Species of moth

Acherontia atropos, the Africandeath's-head hawkmoth, is the most widely recognized of three species within the genus Acherontia. It is most commonly identified by the vaguely skull-shaped pattern adorning the thorax, the characteristic from which its common and scientific names are derived. The species was first given its scientific name by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

<i>Macrothylacia rubi</i> Species of moth

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange swift</span> Species of moth

The orange swift or orange moth is a moth belonging to the family Hepialidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761 and was previously placed in the genus Hepialus. It is distributed throughout Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longhorn moth</span> Species of moth

The longhorn moth or yellow-barred long-horn is a diurnal lepidopteran from the moths family Adelidae.

<i>Operophtera fagata</i> Species of moth

Operophtera fagata, the northern winter moth, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is widespread through much of Europe.

<i>Macaria wauaria</i> Species of moth

Macaria wauaria, the V-moth, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It has a Holarctic distribution. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

<i>Archips xylosteana</i> Species of moth

Archips xylosteana, the variegated golden tortrix or brown oak tortrix, is a moth of the family Tortricidae.

<i>Spiris striata</i> Species of moth

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.

<i>Malacosoma castrense</i> Species of moth

Malacosoma castrense, the ground lackey, is a moth of the family Lasiocampidae. It is a tent caterpillar found in Europe. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. The moth's habitats are salt marshes and estuaries.

<i>Calliteara pudibunda</i> Species of moth

Calliteara pudibunda, the pale tussock, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The Dutch common name for the moth (Meriansborstel) comes from the butterfly and insect painter Maria Sibylla Merian. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in Asia and Europe.

<i>Chlorissa viridata</i> Species of moth

Chlorissa viridata, the small grass emerald, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found from western Europe to the eastern Palearctic.

<i>Lymantria dispar dispar</i> Subspecies of moth (gypsy moth)

Lymantria dispar dispar, commonly known as the gypsy moth, European gypsy moth, LDD moth, or North American gypsy moth or spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. It has a native range that extends over Europe and parts of Africa, and is an invasive species in North America.

References

  1. 1 2 Biolib
  2. "The Drinker Euthrix potatoria". UK Moths. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  3. Goedaert, J. (1660), Metamorphosis naturalis. Middelburgh: Jaques Fierens (p. 47).
  4. Beelen, H., & Van der Sijs, N. (2018). Natneus, molenaar, hypocriet. Insectennamen uit de zeventiende eeuw. Onze Taal, 2018(7/8), 26-27.
  5. Fauna europaea
  6. NMRS map
  7. 1 2 3 Ford, R.L.E. (1963). Larger British Moths. Frederick Warne.
  8. 1 2 3 UK Moths
  9. 1 2 Insight.com/drinker-moth-euthrix-potatoria-bf-1640/ Wildliifeinsight [ permanent dead link ]
  10. Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfili Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa