''Graellsia isabellae'', the Spanish moon moth, is in the silkmoth family
Saturniidae. It is the only species in the
monotypic genus ''Graellsia''. The species was
first described by
Mariano de la Paz Graells y de la Agüera in 1849 and the genus was erected by
Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1896.
Range
The moth is native to
Spain and
France. They live high up in the ''
Alps'' and the ''
Pyrenees'', where climates are generally cooler and drier. Interestingly, they have been found in ''
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
'', where they are not native but instead probably further generations of captive moths. They are relics originating from the ice age or beyond. It is thought that their habitat is a refuge location. This means that for the past few millions of years, while the climate of Europe has drastically changed, the conditions in the small areas in the Alps and Pyrenees have remained stable, and never changed, allowing the small remnant populations of this moth to survive for thousands of years in these small habitats.
They are split off from the lineage of 'Moon Moths', genus ''
Actias
''Actias'' is a genus of Saturniid moths, which contains the Asian-American moon moths. Long tails on their hindwings are among their distinctive traits. Other moths with similar appearance are ''Copiopteryx'', '' Argema'' and '' Eudaemonia''.
...
''.
Lifecycle
At the end of April and beginning of May the moth begins to hatch after overwintering in the cocoon.
Normally moths from the same parental line won't copulate, so it is necessary to take account of this when the moth is bred in captivity.
After copulation the female lays about 100 to 150 eggs on the favoured food plant, pines.
The larva hatch after 1 to weeks and begin to eat the very hard pine needles.
It takes about one and a half months for the caterpillars to reach the last
instar.
In the last instar the caterpillars go down from the tree to pupate under leaves on the ground. In this stage the pupae in the cocoon overwinter until the next spring.
Host plants
The caterpillar primarily eats the needles of pine trees, more specifically ''
Pinus nigra
''Pinus nigra'', the Austrian pine or black pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across Southern Europe from the Iberian Peninsula to the eastern Mediterranean, on the Anatolian peninsula of Turkey, Corsica and Cyprus, as wel ...
'' and ''
Pinus sylvestris'' (genus ''
Pinus''). It appears to have difficulty adopting to non-native pine species as a host even within the genus ''
Pinus''
.
Life cycle
Image:Graellsia isabellae 1st instar 3 sjh.jpg, 1st instar
Image:Graellsia isabellae 2nd instar sjh.jpg, 2nd instar
Image:Graellsia isabellae 3rd instar sjh.jpg, 3rd instar
Image:Graellsia isabellae 4th instar sjh.jpg, 4th instar
Image:Graellsia isabellae 5th instar 2 sjh.jpg, 5th instar
File:Graellsia_isabellae_MHNT_male_dos.jpg,
File:Graellsia isabellae MHNT male ventre.jpg,
File:Graellsia isabellae MHNT Femelle dos.jpg,
File:Graellsia isabellae MHNT Femelle ventre.jpg,
Hybrid
''Graellsia isabellae'' × ''Actias selene'' is a
hybrid of the Spanish moon moth and the Indian moon moth (''
Actias selene'').
References
* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996.
''Graellsia isabelae'' 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 31 July 2007.
External links
''Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa''.
*
"06791 ''Actias isabellae'' (Graells, 1849) - Isabellaspinner" ''Lepiforum e.V.''
{{Authority control
Saturniinae
Moths described in 1849
Moths of Europe