''Macrothylacia rubi'', the fox moth, is a
lepidoptera
Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...
n belonging to the family
Lasiocampidae
The Lasiocampidae are a family of moths also known as eggars, tent caterpillars, snout moths (although this also refers to the Pyralidae), or lappet moths. Over 2,000 species occur worldwide, and probably not all have been named or studied. It i ...
. It was
first described by
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...
in his 1758
10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''.
Distribution and habitat
This species can be found from
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...
to
Central Asia
Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
and
Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
.
These moths live in open woodlands, moors and prairies.
[
]
Description
The wingspan of the male is 40–65 mm.[ The caterpillars can reach a length of about . They are initially black with bright yellow or orange segments, later they become darker, always covered with blackish and tawny-coloured hairs and with light grey hair on the sides.][
Macrothylacia rubi MHNT CUT 2011 0 446 male Mussidan.jpg, Both sides of male
Macrothylacia rubi MHNT CUT 2011 0 446 female Mussidan.jpg, Both sides of female
]
Biology
It is a 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. Between September and March the caterpillars hibernate in leaf litter. These moths take flight from May to July. The males usually fly in the afternoon and night, while the females fly only at night.[ Caterpillars feed on heather ('']Calluna
''Calluna vulgaris'', common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus ''Calluna'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found wide ...
'') bramble (''Rubus fruticosus
''Rubus fruticosus'' L. is the ambiguous name of a European blackberry species in the genus ''Rubus'' (part of the rose family). The name has been interpreted in several ways:
*The species represented by the type specimen of ''Rubus fruticosu ...
''), ''Gramineae
Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated i ...
'', '' Betula verrucosa'', ''Salix
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions.
Most species are known ...
'', ''Populus tremula
''Populus tremula'' (commonly called aspen, common aspen, Eurasian aspen, European aspen, or quaking aspen) is a species of poplar native to cool temperate regions of the Old World.
Description
It is a substantial deciduous tree growing to t ...
'', ''Vicia cracca
''Vicia'' is a genus of over 240 species of flowering plants that are part of the legume family (Fabaceae), and which are commonly known as vetches. Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other g ...
'', '' Trifolium medium'', ''Trifolium pratense
''Trifolium pratense'' (from Latin prātum, meaning meadow), red clover, is a herbaceous species of flowering plant in the bean family, Fabaceae. It is native to the Old World, but planted and naturalised in many other regions.
Description
...
'', ''Vaccinium myrtillus
''Vaccinium myrtillus'' or European blueberry is a Holarctic realm, 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 bilberr ...
'', ''Fragaria
''Fragaria'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. There are more than 20 described species and many Hybrid plant, hybrids and cultivars. The most common strawberr ...
'', ''Potentilla
''Potentilla'' is a genus containing over 500 species of Annual plant, annual, Biennial plant, biennial and Perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants in the rose family (biology), family, Rosaceae.
Potentillas m ...
'' and ''Geranium sylvaticum
''Geranium sylvaticum'', the wood cranesbill or woodland geranium, is a species of hardy flowering plant in the family Geraniaceae, native to Europe and northern Turkey.
The Latin specific epithet ''sylvaticum'' means "of woodland", referring ...
''.[Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfil]
''Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa''
/ref>
Gallery
File:Lasiocampidae - Macrothylacia rubi.JPG, Eggs
File:Macrothylacia rubi caterpillar - Niitvälja bog.jpg, Caterpillar
File:Macrothylacia rubi RF.jpg, Male
File:Macrothylacia rubi01.jpg, Female
File:Männchen des Brombeerspinners (Macrothylacia rubi) am Naturdenkmal Böses Loch in der Dresdner Heide.jpg, Male in the Dresden Heath
The Dresden Heath () is a large forest in the city of Dresden, Germany. The heath is the most important recreation area in the city and is also actively forested. Approximately 6,133 hectares of the Dresden Heath are designated as a nature pre ...
References
External links
''Lepiforum.de''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q926409
Lasiocampinae
Moths described in 1758
Moths of Asia
Moths of Europe
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus