''Eurrhypis pollinalis'' is a species of
moth
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
of the family
Crambidae
The Crambidae are the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies includ ...
. It was described by
Michael Denis
Johann Nepomuk Cosmas Michael Denis, also: ''Sined the Bard'', (27 September 1729 – 29 September 1800) was an Austrian Catholic priest and Jesuit, who is best known as a poet, bibliographer, and lepidopterist.
Life
Denis was born at Schärding ...
and
Ignaz Schiffermüller
Ignaz Schiffermüller (born 2 October 1727 in Hellmonsödt; died 21 June 1806 in Linz) was an Austrian naturalist mainly interested in Lepidoptera.
Schiffermüller was a teacher at the Theresianum College in Vienna. His collection was present ...
in 1775.
Description
The
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...
is 28–33 mm. The forewings and hindwings are dark brown to almost black. On the forewing there are two large white spots. The hindwings show one white spot and a short streak, but they are smaller than the markings of the forewing. Both wings are lined with white on the outer edge. These moths fly in the sun during the day from April to August depending on the location, with two overlapping generations per year. They overwinter as a caterpillar.
The caterpillars feed on a restricted range of legumes (
), such as broom (''
Genista
Genista is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, native to open habitats such as moorland and pasture in Europe and western Asia. They include species commonly called broom, though the term may also refer to other genera, i ...
''), liquorice (''
Glycyrrhiza
''Glycyrrhiza'' is a genus of about 20 accepted species in the legume family (Fabaceae), with a subcosmopolitan distribution in Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas.
The genus is best known for liquorice (British English; licorice in Amer ...
''), ''
Laburnum anagyroides'', ''
Cytisus scoparius
''Cytisus scoparius'' ( syn. ''Sarothamnus scoparius''), the common broom or Scotch broom, is a deciduous leguminous shrub native to western and central Europe. In Britain and Ireland, the standard name is broom; this name is also used for oth ...
'' and ''
Ononis repens
''Ononis repens'', the common restharrow, is a plant species of the genus ''Ononis''.
Description
It is a prostrate (maximum height 60cm) woody perennial, spreading by rhizomes. It has hairy stems and small oval leaves with toothed edges. ...
''.
Distribution
This species is present in southern and central Europe.
Habitat
These moths prefer warm, sunny locations in open countryside. In the mountains they live up to an elevation of 1500 meters.
External links
Fauna Europaea
Pyraustinae Keys
Eurrhypini
Moths of Europe
Moths of Asia
{{Odontiinae-stub