''Phragmatobia fuliginosa'', the ruby tiger, 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 Erebidae.

Subspecies

Subspecies include:Markku Savel
Lepidoptera and some other life forms
/ref> *''Phragmatobia fuliginosa borealis'' ( Staudinger, 1871) in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and in northern regions of Eurasia *'' Phragmatobia fuliginosa melitensis'' ( O. Bang-Haas, 1927) (

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

) *''Phragmatobia fuliginosa paghmani'' (Lének, 1966) (Transcaucasia: Azerbaijan; Iran; northern Iraq; Afghanistan; Central Asia; southern Kazakhstan; China: western Xinjiang) *''Phragmatobia fuliginosa pulverulenta'' ( Alphéraky, 1889) (China: eastern Xinjiang, Qinghai, Nei Mongol; southern aimaks of Mongolia; south-eastern Kazakhstan, partly) *''Phragmatobia fuliginosa rubricosa'' (

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle of ...

, 1841) (North America) *''Phragmatobia fuliginosa taurica'' (Daniel, 1970) (Near East: from southern Turkey to Palestina)

Distribution

''Phragmatobia fuliginosa'' can be found in the

Palearctic realm The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sib ...

. It is present in most of Europe, in North Africa, Russia, Central Asia, Tibet, and in northern areas of North America.

Habitat

This species inhabits moist open forest and meadow areas, mixed hardwood forests at low elevations, open meadows or prairies and in agricultural areas at low elevations. It is common on low-growing plants, on high-roads, railway embankments and waste fields. On warm days in the winter the larvae sometimes leave their hiding-places and are then found on fieldpaths and roads, running about quickly.

Technical description

''Phragmatobia fuliginosa'' has 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 o ...

of 35–45 mm. The ruby tiger has the thorax and forewings dark reddish brown with a blackish comma-shaped spot at the apex of the cell, edged with carmine. Hindwings are carmine, more or less hyaline in the costal area, with more or less confluent black spots before the margin and at the apex of the cell.Seitz, A. Ed. Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde, Verlag Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart Band 2: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen Spinner und Schwärmer, 1912- 1913 The name-typical form 'Phragmatobia fuliginosa'' L. has the forewing rather densely scaled and the hindwing bright rose-red with distinct black spots. Underside strongly suffused with purple-pink. The eggs are reddish grey. The larva is light or dark grey with a black brown head. The entire body is covered with foxy red hairs. These hairs are always more black brown in ''placida'', and sometimes so in ''fuliginosa''. The pupa is black with the abdomen marked with yellow in the segmental incision.

Variations

''Phragmatobia fuliginosa borealis'' has vivid black markings and the red is confined to the sides of the abdomen and the anal part of the hindwing. ''Phragmatobia fuliginosa ab. subnigra'' Mill., that has very dark forewings, must not be confused with the northern form; it is scarcely darker than true ''fuliginosa'', and not so strongly hyaline as ''borealis''. In ''Phragmatobia fuliginosa'' ab. ''flavescens'' Schultz the abdomen and hindwing are yellow instead of red. The full species '' Phragmatobia amurensis'' Seitz, 1910 is a form of the same size as ''Phragmatobia fervida'', but is in colour it is almost exactly like ''fuliginosa'', the forewing however being broader. ''Phragmatobia pulverulenta'' Alph. is a transition to ''fervida'', the forewing being lighter than in ''fuliginosa'', more yellowish brown, and the hindwing lighter and clearer, more flesh-colour, and with well-defined marginal spots. ''Phragmatobia fuliginosa fervida'' Stgr., from Turkestan and northern China, is the largest and lightest form. The forewings are strongly tinged with yellowish red, and therefore almost the same colour as the hindwings, the latter bear strongly reduced dots. ''Phragmatobia placida'' Friv., from South-East Europe, Asia, Minor and Turkestan, is a very large form, usually regarded as a separate species 'Phragmatobia_placida''_(Frivaldszky,_1835).html" ;"title="Phragmatobia_placida.html" ;"title="'

'Phragmatobia_placida''_(Frivaldszky,_1835)">Phragmatobia_placida.html"_;"title="'Phragmatobia_placida">'Phragmatobia_placida''_(Frivaldszky,_1835)_with_the_forewing_more_triangular_and_uniformly_dark_brown,_and_the_hindwing_pure_light_pink_spotted_with_black._The_forewing_bears_a_carmine_dot_at_the_upper_angle_of_the_cell.

_Biology

The_moth_flies_from_May_to_August_depending_on_the_location.__It_is_double-brooded_in_the_south_of_England,_flying_in_April_to_June,_and_again_in_August_and_September._In_the_north_it_is_a_Voltinism.html" "title="Phragmatobia placida">'Phragmatobia placida'' (Frivaldszky, 1835)">Phragmatobia_placida.html" ;"title="'Phragmatobia placida">'Phragmatobia placida'' (Frivaldszky, 1835) with the forewing more triangular and uniformly dark brown, and the hindwing pure light pink spotted with black. The forewing bears a carmine dot at the upper angle of the cell.

Biology

The moth flies from May to August depending on the location. It is double-brooded in the south of England, flying in April to June, and again in August and September. In the north it is a Voltinism">univoltine Voltinism is a term used in biology to indicate the number of broods or generations of an organism in a year. The term is most often applied to insects, and is particularly in use in sericulture, where silkworm varieties vary in their voltinism. ...

species, with just one generation in June.UK Moths
/ref> The caterpillars are polyphagous, feeding on various plants, mainly ''Rubus fruticosus'', ''Prunus spinosa'', ''Filipendula ulmaria'', ''Plantago lanceolata'', ''Senecio jacobaea'', ''Salix repens'', ''

Salix starkeana ''Salix starkeana'' is a small, prostrate shrub from the genus of willows (''Salix'') with red-brown to purple-red, bare branches and olive-green leaf tops. The natural range of the species is in Europe and in northern Asia. Description The pa ...

'', ''

Salix phylicifolia ''Salix phylicifolia'', the tea-leaved willow, is a species of willow native to Northern Europe including Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Scandinavia, Finland, Russia, and Western Siberia. It was the first bush found on the new volcanic island of Sur ...

'', ''

Polygonum ''Polygonum'' is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plant in the buckwheat and knotweed family Polygonaceae. Common names include knotweed and knotgrass (though the common names may refer more broadly to plants from Polygonaceae). In the ...

'' spp., '' Rumex crispus'', ''

Potentilla erecta ''Potentilla erecta'' (syn. ''Tormentilla erecta'', ''Potentilla laeta'', ''Potentilla tormentilla'', known as the (common) tormentil, septfoil or erect cinquefoil ) is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the rose family ( Rosaceae). Descr ...

'', ''

Rubus idaeus ''Rubus idaeus'' (raspberry, also called red raspberry or occasionally European red raspberry to distinguish it from other raspberry species) is a red-fruited species of ''Rubus'' native to Europe and northern Asia and commonly cultivated in othe ...

'', ''

Trifolium Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

'' spp., ''

Chamaenerion angustifolium ''Chamaenerion angustifolium'' is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae. It is known in North America as fireweed, in some parts of Canada as great willowherb, in Britain and Ireland as rosebay willowherb. I ...

'', '' Calluna vulgaris'', ''

Vaccinium myrtillus ''Vaccinium myrtillus'' or European blueberry is a holarctic species of shrub with edible fruit of blue color, known by the common names bilberry, blaeberry, wimberry, and whortleberry. It is more precisely called common bilberry or blue whortle ...

'', ''

Vaccinium uliginosum ''Vaccinium uliginosum'' (bog bilberry, bog blueberry, northern bilberry or western blueberry) is a Eurasian and North American flowering plant in the genus ''Vaccinium'' within the heath family. Distribution ''Vaccinium uliginosum'' is native ...

'', ''

Andromeda polifolia ''Andromeda polifolia'', common name bog-rosemary, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae, native to northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only member of the genus ''Andromeda'', and is only found in bogs ...

'', ''

Plantago major ''Plantago major'', the broadleaf plantain, white man's footprint, waybread, or greater plantain, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. The plant is native to Eurasia. The young, tender leaves can be eaten raw, ...

'', '' Taraxacum vulgare'' and ''

Taraxacum officinale ''Taraxacum officinale'', the dandelion or common dandelion, is a flowering Herbaceous plant, herbaceous perennial plant of the Dandelion, dandelion genus in the family Asteraceae (syn. Compositae). The common dandelion is well known for its yell ...

''.

Gallery

File: Phragmatobia fuliginosa 090621.jpg, Caterpillar File: Erebidae - Phragmatobia fuliginosa-001.JPG, Moth File:Ruby Tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa).jpg , Front view File: Phragmatobia fuliginosa user vitaman.JPG, Mounted specimen

References

External links

Siberian Zoological Museum

Fauna and Funghi of Malta
* Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfil

* ttps://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Phragmatobia-fuliginosa Butterflies and Moths of North America {{Taxonbar, from=Q204097 Spilosomina Moths described in 1758 Moths of Europe Moths of North America Moths of Asia Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus