''Gastropacha populifolia'', the poplar lappet, is a

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

Lasiocampidae The Lasiocampidae are a family of moths also known as eggars, tent caterpillars, snout moths (although this also refers to the Pyralidae), or lappet moths. Over 2,000 species occur worldwide, and probably not all have been named or studied. It i ...

. It is found in Southern and Central

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, through

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, India and China up to Japan. 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 o ...

is 45–65 mm for males and 65–80 mm for females. The moth flies from June to August depending on the location. The larvae feed on '' Populus'' and

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

species.

Subspecies

*''Gastropacha populifolia populifolia'' *''Gastropacha populifolia angustipennis'' (Walker, 1855) *''Gastropacha populifolia mephisto'' Zolotuhin, 2005

External links

Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North AfricaLepiforum.deschmetterlinge-deutschlands.de
Lasiocampidae Moths described in 1784 Moths of Japan Moths of Europe Moths of Asia Taxa named by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper {{Lasiocampidae-stub