''Cossus cossus'', the goat moth, 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
Cossidae
The Cossidae, the cossid millers or carpenter millers, make up a family (biology), family of mostly large Miller (moth), miller moths. This family contains over 110 genera with almost 700 known species, and many more species await description. ...
. It is found in Northern Africa, Asia and Europe.
Biology
This is a large heavy moth with a
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 ...
of 68–96 mm. The wings are greyish brown and marked with fine dark cross lines. The moth flies from April to August depending on the location.
The caterpillars have a red/purple stripe across the back and a black head. They reach a length of 9–10 cm. The
caterpillar
Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths).
As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...
s feed in the trunks and branches of a wide variety of trees (see list below), taking three to five years to mature. The caterpillar holes can be found low on the stem (maximum 1.0–1.5 m above the ground). When ready to pupate the caterpillar leaves the tree to find a suitable spot.
The species prefer humid environments. Both the larva and moth have a smell reminiscent of goat, hence its name.
As a food
Pliny
Pliny may refer to:
People
* Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), ancient Roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of ''Naturalis Historia'' (''Pliny's Natural History'')
* Pliny the Younger (died 113), ancient Roman statesman, orator, w ...
reported in
''Natural History'' that a grub which he gives the name ''cossus'' was considered a Roman delicacy after it was fed with
flour
Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...
. Some writers have equated this with ''Cossus cossus'', but Pliny specifies that his ''cossus'' is found in oak trees, which makes this identification unlikely. Pliny's ''cossus'' is more likely to have been the larva of the beetle ''
Cerambyx heros''.
[F. S. Bodenheimer]
''Insects as Human Food: A Chapter of the Ecology of Man''
Springer, November 27, 2013,
Recorded food plants
It has a preference for ''Populus'', ''Quercus'' and ''Salix''.
Taxonomy
''Cossus balcanicus''
Lederer, 1863 from Bulgaria is probably a hybrid between ''C. cossus'' and ''
Lamellocossus terebrus''
(Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775).
Subspecies
*''Cossus cossus cossus''
*''Cossus cossus albescens''
Kitt, 1925 (Kazakhstan, Russia)
*''Cossus cossus araraticus''
Teich, 1896 (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran)
*''Cossus cossus armeniacus''
Rothschild, 1912 (Turkey)
*''Cossus cossus chinensis''
Rothschild, 1912 (China: Shaanxi)
*''Cossus cossus dauricus''
Yakovlev, 2007 (Russia: Transbaikal)
*''Cossus cossus dersu''
Yakovlev, 2009 (Russia: southern Ussuri, Primorsky Krai)
*''Cossus cossus deserta''
Daniel, 1953 (Mongolia)
*''Cossus cossus gueruenensis''
Friedel, 1977 (Asia Minor)
*''Cossus cossus kopetdaghi''
Yakovlev, 2009 (Turkmenistan)
*''Cossus cossus kossai''
Wiltshire, 1957 (Iraq, Jordan)
*''Cossus cossus lucifer''
Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 (Tibet)
*''Cossus cossus mongolicus''
Erschoff, 1882 (Mongolia)
*''Cossus cossus omrana''
Wiltshire, 1957 (Iraq, Iran)
*''Cossus cossus tianshanus''
Hua, Chou, Fang & Chen, 1990 (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan)
*''Cossus cossus uralicus''
Seitz, 1912 (Uralsk)
Gallery
File:Cossus cossus.jpg, Caterpillar
File:Caterpillars cossus cossus.jpg, Caterpillars of different age on willow wood
File:Weidenbohrer-Unterseite.jpg, Caterpillar (underside; head to the right)
File:Cossus cossus caterpillar.png, Illustrated caterpillar
File:Weide mit Cossus cossus.jpg, Willow with caterpillars
File:Rups van een wilgenhoutvlinder.JPG, Caterpillars
File:Cossus cossus exuvia.JPG, Pupal case
File:Britishentomologyvolume5Plate60.jpg, Illustration from John Curtis's ''British Entomology
''British Entomology'' is a classic work of entomology by John Curtis, FLS. It is subtitled ''Being Illustrations and Descriptions of the Genera of Insects found in Great Britain and Ireland: Containing Coloured Figures from Nature of the Most ...
'' Volume 5
File:Cossus cossus pupa.png, Illustrated pupa
File:Cossus Cossus.png, Illustrated adult
File:Cossus cossus1.jpg, Mounted
References
*
*
*This information, or an older version, was partially obtained from
De Vlinderstichting - Vlindernet â€
http://www.vlindernet.nl/(geraadpleegd 18-05-2017).
External links
Goat Moth at UKMothsFauna EuropaeaA video of a red goat moth caterpillar searching for a pupation site
{{Taxonbar, from=Q278629
Cossus
Moths described in 1758
Moths of Japan
Moths of Europe
Moths of Asia
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus