Lemonia taraxaci

Dandelion Spinner ( Lemonia Taraxaci )

The dandelion Spinner ( Lemonia Taraxaci ) is a butterfly of the family of the meadow next to the spinner and spinner hawkweed ( Lemonia dumi ) is the only representative of this family in Central Europe.

Features

The wingspan of the moth varies between 45 and 65 millimeters. The males are smaller than females. The body is very hairy, at the head of powerful brownish-yellow and the abdomen black in color. The wings are dyed solid color dull yellow. the female brighter. Only males show on the fore wings a very small black Diskoidalfleck. The antennae are long and dense in the male combed, combed short in the female. The caterpillars are up to 70 millimeters long, are dark brown in color with large black spots on each segment on either side and hairy yellow-brown.

Occurrence

The species is found in southern Central Europe, including in South and Central Germany very local and rare, preferably on dry, sunny meadows and slopes. In the Mediterranean and the Middle East, the species is found in places frequently.

Way of life

The males fly during the day in search of the females. The flight is preferably carried out in the sunshine on open, dry grasslands and is very fast and erratic. The females sit during the day close to the ground and send out pheromones to attract the males. The life of the imago is very short, since they can take no food because of the absence of a proboscis.

Flight times and caterpillars

The dandelion Spinner fly mainly from August to October. The caterpillars live from May to July.

Food of the caterpillars

The caterpillars feed mainly on the leaves of hawkweed and dandelions.

Threats and conservation

The species is considered critically endangered and is classified in Category 1 of the Red List of Threatened Species of the FRG.

Swell

• Manfred Koch: We determined. Butterflies. Volume 2 Bears, spinner, enthusiast and drill Germany. Neumann Publisher Radebeul 2nd edition 1964