Six-spot burnet

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Six-spot burnet moth
Zygaena filipendulae (top view) - Kulna.jpg
Adult of Zygaena filipendulae
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Zygaenidae
Genus: Zygaena
Species:
Z. filipendulae
Binomial name
Zygaena filipendulae
Synonyms
  • Sphinx filipendulaeLinnaeus, 1758
  • Sphinx maiorEsper, 1794
  • Sphinx polygalaeEsper, 1783
  • Sphinx stoechadisBorkhausen, 1793
Top view Six-spot Burnet.tif
Top view

The six-spot burnet (Zygaena filipendulae) is a day-flying moth of the family Zygaenidae.

Contents

Subspecies

Side view Zygaena filipendulae (side view) - Kulna.jpg
Side view
Mating Red spotted moths 1 (3745889925).jpg
Mating
Zygaena filipendulae
2016 Belarus stamp featuring Zygaena filipendulae Stamp of Belarus - 2016 - Colnect 651857 - Butterflies (cropped).jpeg
2016 Belarus stamp featuring Zygaena filipendulae

Distribution

Zygaena filipendulae is a common species throughout Europe, except the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula, northern Scandinavia and the Great Russian North. It is also present in Asia, from Anatolia through the Caucasus to Syria and Lebanon. [1]

Habitat

This species can be found in meadows, woodland clearings, sea-cliffs and area rich in grasses and flowers, up to 2,000 m altitude. [2]

Description

Zygaena filipendulae has a wingspan of 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in). The sexes are similar. The fore wings are dark metallic green with six vivid red spots (sometimes the spots are merged causing possible confusion with other species such as the five-spot burnet. Occasionally, the spots are yellow or even black. The hind wings are red with a blackish fringe. The larva is plump and hairy with variable markings, usually pale green with rows of black spots.

It is an aposematic moth because it is distinguished by its colors as toxic to predators like birds and lizards. If attacked it emits a liquid containing cyanide.

Biology

The adults fly on hot, sunny days from June to August, [Note 1] and are attracted to a wide variety of flowers such as knapweed and scabious, as well as the larval food plants bird's foot trefoil, Coronilla and clover. [3]

The species overwinters as a larva. The larva pupates in early summer in a papery cocoon attached to a grass stem. [4]

Lifecycle

Bibliography

Notes

  1. The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.

Related Research Articles

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The Zygaenidae moths are a family of Lepidoptera. The majority of zygaenids are tropical, but they are nevertheless quite well represented in temperate regions. Some of the 1000 or so species are commonly known as burnet or forester moths, often qualified by the number of spots, although other families also have 'foresters'. They are also sometimes called smoky moths.

<i>Zygaena transalpina</i> Species of moth

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

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.

<i>Zygaena</i> Genus of moths

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<i>Zygaena carniolica</i> Species of moth

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<i>Zygaena ephialtes</i> Species of moth

Zygaena ephialtes is day-flying species of burnet moth found in Europe. It is typically found in xeric habitats, and populations have recently decreased. It also exhibits Müllerian mimicry with other species, like Amata phegea.

<i>Zygaena fausta</i> Species of moth

Zygaena fausta is a member of the family Zygaenidae, the day-flying burnet moths. Its bright aposematic colours of red, white and black on the wings indicate to possible predators such as birds that it is foul tasting or poisonous. In flight, the bright red abdomen is revealed, contrasting with the white legs and black head and antennae; the thorax is black and white with an eye spot on each side. There appears to be a considerable variation in pattern among specimens from different parts of Europe.

<i>Zygaena loti</i> Species of moth

Zygaena loti, the slender Scotch burnet, is a moth of the family Zygaenidae. It is a diurnal moth characterized by a black body, light colored legs, and red spots on its wings. The caterpillars are a yellow-green color and usually molt out of dormancy in late February to early March. The larvae feed on plants from the family Fabaceae until they enter their pupal stage and mature into adults in May to early June. For mating, Zygaenidae exhibit a dual-partner finding strategy, where females use pheromones while assuming a calling position, and males exhibit a patrolling behavior where they utilize both vision and the olfactory receptors in their antennae to locate a potential mate. Although regionally endangered as their population is declining, Z. loti is found all across Europe, inhabiting areas rich in their desired food plants: lime-rich, and characterized by a hot and dry climate. The decreases in their population are likely due to factors such as habitat loss and fragmentation brought on by commercial agriculture and urbanization, as well as global climate change. There are few conservation programs currently focusing on Zygaena loti.

<i>Zygaena trifolii</i> Species of moth

Zygaena trifolii, the five-spot burnet, is a day-flying moth in the family Zygaenidae found in North Africa and Europe. It was described by the German zoologist Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1783 from the type specimen found in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

<i>Zygaena exulans</i> Species of moth

Zygaena exulans, the mountain burnet or Scotch burnet, is a moth of the family Zygaenidae.

<i>Zygaena laeta</i> Species of moth

Zygaena laeta, the bloodword burnet, is a moth of the family Zygaenidae.

<i>Zygaena lonicerae</i> Species of moth

Zygaena lonicerae, the narrow-bordered five-spot burnet, is a moth of the family Zygaenidae. The species was first described by Theodor Gottlieb von Scheven in 1777.

<i>Zygaena purpuralis</i> Species of moth

Zygaena purpuralis, the transparent burnet, is a moth of the family Zygaenidae.

<i>Zygaena occitanica</i> Species of moth

Zygaena occitanica, the Provence burnet, is a moth of the Zygaenidae family. It is found from the Algarve and southern Spain up to the eastern parts of the Cantabrian Mountains then to southern Russia and the Caucasus and east to the western fringe of Central Asia.

<i>Zygaena osterodensis</i> Species of moth

Zygaena osterodensis is a moth of the family Zygaenidae.

<i>Zygaena sarpedon</i> Species of moth

Zygaena sarpedon is a moth of the Zygaenidae family. It is found in France, Italy and on the Iberian Peninsula.

<i>Zygaena cynarae</i> Species of moth

Zygaena cynarae is a species of moth in the Zygaenidae family. It is found from France east to Russia.

<i>Zygaena erythrus</i> Species of moth

Zygaena erythrus, common name sluggish burnet, is a species of moth in the family Zygaenidae.

<i>Zygaena rhadamanthus</i> Species of moth

Zygaena rhadamanthus is a species of moth in the Zygaenidae family. It is found in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy.

References