Scarlet tiger moth | |
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Dorsal view | |
Ventral view | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
Family: | Erebidae |
Subfamily: | Arctiinae |
Genus: | Callimorpha |
Species: | C. dominula |
Binomial name | |
Callimorpha dominula | |
Synonyms | |
Panaxia dominula |
The scarlet tiger moth (Callimorpha dominula, formerly Panaxia dominula) is a colorful moth belonging to the tiger moth subfamily, Arctiinae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. [1]
Subspecies within this species include: [2]
This species is present in most of Europe and in the Near East (Turkey, South Caucasus and northern Iran). [2] [3] These moths prefer damp areas (wet meadows, river banks, fens and marshes), but they also can be found on rocky cliffs close to the sea. [4] [5]
Callimorpha dominula has a wingspan of 45–55 millimetres (1.8–2.2 in). Adults of this species are quite variable in color. The forewings usually have a metallic-green sheen on the blackish areas, with white and yellow or orange markings. Hindwings are red with three large and irregular black markings. These moths may also occur in rare color forms, one with yellow hindwings and body and one with extended black on hindwings. The thorax is black glossed with green and shows two longitudinal short yellow stripes. [6] The abdomen is black. The scarlet tiger moth has developed mouthparts, that allow it to feed on nectar. [4] The caterpillars can reach a length of about 40 millimetres (1.6 in). They are dark gray with yellow stripes and small white dots.
The imagines are active during the day in May and June. This species has a single generation. The caterpillars are polyphagous. They mainly feed on comfrey (Symphytum officinale), but also on a number of other plants ( Urtica , Cynoglossum , Fragaria , Fraxinus , Geranium , Lamium , Lonicera , Myosotis , Populus , Prunus , Ranunculus , Rubus , Salix and Ulmus species). [2] [5] [4] [7]
The three morphs occurring in the population at the Cothill reserve in Oxfordshire, Britain, have been the subject of considerable genetic study (McNamara 1998), including research by E. B. Ford, Ronald Fisher and Denis Owen. Don McNamara (1998) describes how amateurs can rear this species. [8]
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.
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.
Nyctemera is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae first described by Jacob Hübner in 1820. The genus includes the species Nyctemera annulata and Nyctemera amica, which are closely related and are able to interbreed.
Utetheisa is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae. The genus was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1819.
The Arctiini are a tribe of tiger moths in the family Erebidae.
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.
Callimorpha is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae.
Callindra is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae described by Röber in 1925. It consists of a number of South and East Asian species, reviewed by Vladimir Viktorovitch Dubatolov and Yasunori Kishida (2006), with the type species, Callindra arginalis.
Creatonotos is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae. The moths in the genus are found in the Afrotropics, South and East Asia, Sundaland and Australia.
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.
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.
Manulea complana, the scarce footman, 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 throughout the Palearctic region.
Manulea is a genus of moths in the family Erebidae erected by Hans Daniel Johan Wallengren in 1863. The type species is Lithosia gilveola Ochsenheimer, 1810.
Arctia 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.
Many types of polymorphism can be seen in the insect order Lepidoptera. Polymorphism is the appearance of forms or "morphs" differing in color and number of attributes within a single species. In Lepidoptera, polymorphism can be seen not only between individuals in a population but also between the sexes as sexual dimorphism, between geographically separated populations in geographical polymorphism and also between generations flying at different seasons of the year. It also includes the phenomenon of mimicry when mimetic morphs fly alongside non-mimetic morphs in a population of a particular species. Polymorphism occurs both at a specific level with heritable variation in the overall morphological design of individuals as well as in certain specific morphological or physiological traits within a species.
Apantesis virgo, the virgin 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. It is found in North America from Newfoundland south to Florida west to Alberta.
Taicallimorpha is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae. The genus is endemic in Taiwan and consists of only one species, Taicallimorpha albipuncta.
Callindra nyctemerata is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Frederic Moore in 1879. It is found in India, China.
Euchromia polymena is a species of day flying moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. These moths are vibrantly coloured and look like wasps so known as Wasp moth or Painted handmaiden moth. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in India and south-eastern Asia, as well as on Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and the Philippines. It is also present in the northern part of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Utetheisa pellex is a moth in the family Erebidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is found in New Guinea and surrounding islands, as well as in Australia (Queensland).