Leucodonta bicoloria
White tooth Spinner
The White tooth Spinner ( Leucodonta bicoloria ) is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of the tooth Spinner ( Notodontidae ).
Features
The moths reach a wingspan from 28 to 36 millimeters. They are distinctive because of their appearance. All wings of a snow-white color. On the front wings, a typical, clear orange-yellow drawing is approximately in the form of a horizontal Y, framed by two other, smaller spots of the same color. At the outer edge of the front wing some small black dots can be seen. The under wing running from the finest white hairs on the inner edge.
The egg is slightly arched from white, yellowish or light green color. The caterpillar is smooth with only a few hairs. It is yellow-green, with two dark green, yellowish remote ridgelines, and black spiracles and the golden foot patrols. The head is dark green. The doll is slender and cylindrical, rounded at the end.
Geographic occurrence and habitat
The animals come from Western Europe (Ireland), on the northern part of Mitt Europe, Northern Europe, Russia up to the Amur region and Hokkaido (Japan) ago. In Central Europe are clear birch forests, moors and heaths with warm relationships and birch trees, the preferred habitat.
Way of life
The moths fly in Central Europe annually in one generation from mid-May to late June. They are nocturnal and fly to artificial light sources. The caterpillars are found from mid-June to late August. They feed mainly on the leaves of birch (Betula ). Both the moths and the caterpillars keep preferably in the treetops. Pupation takes place in a web to the earth. The pupa overwinters.
System
The White tooth spinner flies in influenced by the continental climate areas of distribution ( approximately from Finland eastward ) in an almost completely white form, probably an adaptation to this climate. In Siberia exclusively fly white copies. This form was described as f albida. Schintlmeister and Sviridov (1986 ) consider this form as a subspecies. The name is not available; He was introduced as Leucodonta albida of Boisduval (1834 ) in the literature. A junior synonym is Shironia nivea Matsumura, 1925 by Hokkaido.
Threats and conservation
The species is endangered in many parts of Germany, in Baden- Württemberg it is on the warning list, ie it is to be feared that in continuation of certain risk factors, the species is in future to be classified as "endangered". The hochstenöke species is considered an indicator of particularly mild locations.