Spilosoma urticae

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Water ermine
Spilosoma urticae FvL.jpg
Spilosoma urticae.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Genus: Spilosoma
Species:
S. urticae
Binomial name
Spilosoma urticae
(Esper, 1789)
Synonyms
  • Phalaena Bombyx urticaeEsper, 1789
  • Phalaena Bombyx papyratiaMarsham, 1791
  • Spilosoma sangaicaWalker, [1865]
  • Spilosoma mandliSchawerda, 1922
  • Spilosoma urticae peralbataDannehl, 1928

Spilosoma urticae, the water ermine, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in temperate belt of the Palearctic realm like similar Spilosoma lubricipedum , but prefers drier biotopes. So, S. urticae is more abundant in steppes and it is the single Spilosoma species in Central Asia.

The wingspan is 38–46 mm. The length of the forewings is 18–22 mm. Hindwings always without black dots. Antennae branches are very short in males, they are equal and not more than twice longer than the antenna stem diameter (this is the best distinguishing character from Spilosoma lubricipeda ). The moth flies April to October depending on the location.

Fig. 3 larvae after last moult Buckler W The larvae of the British butterflies and moths PlateXLV.jpg
Fig. 3 larvae after last moult

The larvae feed on Rumex hydrolapathum , Mentha aquatica , Iris pseudacorus , Lysimachia vulgaris , Jacobaea vulgaris and Pedicularis sylvatica .


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<i>Spilosoma pellucida</i> Species of moth

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<i>Spilosoma obliqua</i> Species of moth

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<i>Spilosoma jussiaeae</i> Species of moth

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<i>Spilosoma occidens</i> Species of moth

Spilosoma occidens is a moth in the family Erebidae. It was described by Walter Rothschild in 1910. It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

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