''Catephia alchymista'', the white underwing or alchymist, 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 ...

in the family

Erebidae The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups. The family includes the underwings ('' Catocala'') ...

found in Asia, Europe and North Africa. The species was first 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 presented ...

in 1775.

Technical description and variation

''C. alchymista'' Schiff. Forewing ash-black; lines deep black; inner and outer irregularly dentate, partially brown-edged externally; subterminal line light brown, irregular and dilated in places, at costa marked with white; stigmata with deep black edges; hindwing white in basal half, except along inner margin, which like outer half is blackish; terminal spots white, running out into the fringe, at apex and above anal angle. Larva reddish brown, marbled with black and whitish; dorsal tubercles black; head brown; segment 2 yellow in front the ab. ''varia'' Chr., from

Sarepta Sarepta (near modern Sarafand, Lebanon) was a Phoenician city on the Mediterranean coast between Sidon and Tyre, also known biblically as Zarephath. It became a bishopric, which faded, and remains a double (Latin and Maronite) Catholic titular ...

, has greenish grey forewings with very strongly marked black lines. 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 .

Biology

The moths are on wing from May to July, and in southern Europe there is a partial second generation in August and September. The larvae feed on oak (''

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably '' ...

'' species), preferring new growth and saplings and have also been found on elm (''

Ulmus Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus ''Ulmus'' in the plant family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical-montane regions of Nor ...

'' species). Pupation takes place, through the winter, in a cocoon on the ground.

Distribution

It is found in southern and central Europe up to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

. In the north, the range extends to Latvia and Lithuania. In the east, the range extends through southern Russia to the Urals. It also occurs on the larger Mediterranean islands (including Cyprus), in North Africa and Israel and Asia Minor. Sometimes it is observed in England as a migrant. In the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

it rises to 800 meters. The moth is found in areas with oak trees, such as oak and mixed forests, alluvial forests, bushy heaths and parklands.

References

External links

''Lepiforum e.V.''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q546251 Catephia Moths described in 1775 Moths of Africa Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Taxa named by Michael Denis Taxa named by Ignaz Schiffermüller