The mint moth (''Pyrausta aurata'') is a small
moth from the family
Crambidae, also known by the common name ''Small Purple and Gold''.
Distribution
This species can be found in most of Europe and it is also widespread in North Africa and North Asia. In the east it is present from
Siberia to North
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Korea and
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, in the south, it covers
Asia Minor, the
Middle East,
Iran,
Afghanistan,
Middle Asia and
Mongolia.
Habitat
These moths inhabit chalk and limestone grassland, woodland, marshland and gardens.
Description
''Pyrausta aurata'' has a
wingspan of .
[UK Moths]
/ref> The forewings are purplish-brown with golden yellow markings.[ The number and intensity of these markings is quite variable. Usually in the forewings there is a single postmedian round golden spot near the costa, often with some other minor golden spots.][Nature spot]
/ref>[G. Dorem]
/ref> The yellow spots can also be greatly reduced up to the complete absence. Sometimes there an almost indistinct wavy golden postmedian line between the dorsum and the main golden spot.[ The hindwings are dark brown or also black with a broad yellow transverse band approximately in the wing center and without additional spot closer to the basal area.
The moth is very similar to the related '' Pyrausta purpuralis'', a slightly larger moth with a broad postmedian continuous band, usually divided into at least three yellow spots.
The caterpillar can reach a length of 13 mm. It may be light green, dark green, light brown, black gray or reddish, with a darker back line. The head is brownish black. Pupa is quite slender, red-brown to black-brown.][Geoffrey Abbott,Peter Holden: RSPB Handbook of Garden Wildlife. Christopher Helm, London 2008, , 240 S.]
Biology
In the UK, it has two broods; in May/June, and July/August.[ In north-west Europe it can be seen from April until the end of September and is capable of having two generations in each season.
It flies both at day and at night.][ As the name suggests, the mint moth often uses mint ('' Mentha spicata''. '']Mentha rotundifolia
''Mentha longifolia'' (also known as horse mint, fillymint or St. John's horsemint; syn. ''M. spicata'' var. ''longifolia'' L., ''M. sylvestris'' L., ''M. tomentosa'' D'Urv, ''M. incana'' Willd.) is a species in the genus '' Mentha'' (mint) nat ...
'') as a food plant, though it can also be found on other species such as marjoram, ''Salvia pratensis
''Salvia pratensis'', the meadow clary or meadow sage, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, western Asia and northern Africa. The Latin specific epithet ''pratensis'' means "of meadows", referring to its ...
'', '' Melissa officinalis'', '' Nepeta cataria'' and '' Calamintha'' species.[
]
Gallery
File:Pyrausta purpuralis2.jpg, Mating
File:Pyrausta aurata caterpillar (11966222093).jpg, Caterpillar
File: Mint moth (pyrausta aurata) first brood.jpg, First brood.
File: Pyraustinae - Pyrausta aurata.JPG, Second brood
References
External links
* Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfil
Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa
BioLib
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1477041
Pyrausta (moth)
Moths described in 1763
Moths of Asia
Moths of Europe
Moths of Africa
Taxa named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli
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