Lackey moth
Lackey Moth ( Malacosoma neustria )
- 3.1 Flight times and caterpillars
- 3.2 food of the caterpillars
- 5.1 Notes and references
- 5.2 Literature
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 25 to 40 millimeters. The basic wing color varies from light yellow, brown, red-brown and gray-brown. On the fore wings of the male are two transverse lines, which are brownish and whitish with darker representatives in bright copies. Disconnect in about the third wing. In the females, which are significantly larger than the males, the area between the transverse bars are dark colored. The antennae of the males are in contrast to the filamentary of the females strongly combed.
The caterpillars are about 60 mm long and are strikingly colorful stained. They have a bright blue-gray ground color in addition to the back line and a bright orange beside it, can be seen dark and yellow stripes. Her head is blue-gray, but carries two black spots that look like eyes. You have, especially on pages long, light, soft hair. At the 12th segment they wear a belt.
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Similar Species
- Milkweed Lackey Moth ( Malacosoma castrensis ) (Linnaeus, 1758)
Occurrence
The animals come in all of Europe except in the far north, east to the Black Sea before. They live in open woods and hedges but also in extensive orchards and parks. They have become almost rare everywhere. The in many parts of Central Europe yet locally damaging in the 19th century is kind of a sensitive bioindicator for today's perspective -natural fruit gardens, orchards etc.
Way of life
Flight times and caterpillars
The moths fly from late June to mid-August, the caterpillars to take place from May to June.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on most of blackthorn (Prunus spinosa ), but also by many other deciduous trees and shrubs, such as of goat willow (Salix caprea ), hornbeam (Carpinus betulus ), pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), pear (Pyrus communis), apple (Malus domestica) and Eingriffeligem hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna). Previously, the caterpillars were dreaded pests and were able to mass propagation of fruit trees cause damage, now pass through the lower population numbers no more damage.
Development
The females lay in the summer of her hard and bonded with hard putty eggs arranged in a ring about an inch wide opportunity to thin branches. From the eggs do not hatch until the following spring along striped, almost naked caterpillars that eat off the leaves and flowers in warm weather. They live socially in cocoons in which they retire for skinning and also in feeding breaks. After the last moult they are solitary and pupate in June in a white cocoon between leaves, which is powdered lemon yellow.