Phalera Bucephala

The buff-tip (''Phalera bucephala'') is a moth of the family Notodontidae. It is found throughout Europe and in Asia to eastern Siberia. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''.

Description

The moth is a fairly large, heavy-bodied species with a wingspan of . The forewings are grey with a large prominent buff patch at the apex. As the thoracic hair is also buff, the moth resembles a broken twig when at rest. The hindwings are creamy white.
Seitz - Head, collar and centre of thorax brownish yellow, patagia greyish white with a black-brown double basal edge, on the transverse crest 2 black-brown transverse lines, hind margin greyish white. Abdomen yellowish grey to yellowish brown. Forewing greyish brown, broadly white at the base and along the hind margin, with prediscal dark brown and black double band; at the apex a large oval yellow patch reaching down to vein 4, proximally bordered by a dark red-brown semicircle, and traversed below the apex by a broad dentate dull ochreous submarginal spot; the black postdiscal band semicircular in the costal half, parallel with the dark border of the apical patch, and then dentate, accompanied on
the outer side by a dark brown line; discal spot whitish; the scaling with a strong silky gloss, excepting the apical patch. Hindwing whitish grey, with a very slight indication of a dark median band. On the underside both wings have a prominent black-brown discal band, forewing moreover with a black-browia marginal line. Throughout Europe with the exception of the Arctic Region and Greece; also in North-East Africa, Asia Minor, Siberia to East Asia. In Central Europe abundant everywhere in May and June, a second brood in July and
August appears regularly only in the South. — In Norway and Southern Sweden, also in England occurs a dark form, ''tenebrata'' Strand, ubspecies ''P. b. tenebrata'' Strand, 1903in which the white colouring of the forewing is more or less strongly reduced, particularly in the median area, while the hindwing is paler or darker grey. In ab. ''demaculata'' Strand (47 d) berrationthe pale discal spot of the forewing moreover is absent. — ''bucephalina'' Stgr., now species ''Phalera bucephalina'' (Staudinger & Rebel, 1901)">Phalera_bucephalina.html" ;"title="now species ''Phalera bucephalina">now species ''Phalera bucephalina'' (Staudinger & Rebel, 1901)which represents the species in Western Morocco, is also characterised by a darker colouring of the ground. In addition, the discal spot is more prominent and the apical patch larger, in which characters this form approaches the next species, '' bucephaloides''. — In the East-Asiatic ''infulgens'' Graes. (47 d)[now subspecies ''P. b. infulgens'' Graeser, 1888">Phalera bucephaloides">bucephaloides''. — In the East-Asiatic ''infulgens'' Graes. (47 d)[now subspecies ''P. b. infulgens'' Graeser, 1888 which is common in the Amur and Ussuri districts, the whole forewing is uniformly whitish grey without gloss, the anterior half being hardly darker than the hind margin; thehindwing is somewhat narrower. — Egg strongly, convex green with darker top and paler base. Larva orange yellow, with glossy black head and yellowish grey hair, as well as black longitudinal stripes interrupted bet- ween the segments, 5 stripes dorsally and 2 laterally, between the latter pair the black spiracles are placed.Underside black with broad yellow median stripe, abdominal legs black outside and yellow inside. June to October, on Salix, Poplar, Birch, Lime and Oak. Pupa glossy black-brown, sometimes hibernating twice.

The moth flies at night in June and July and sometimes comes to light, although it is not generally strongly attracted.

The young larvae are gregarious, becoming solitary later. The older larva is very striking, black with white and yellow lines. It feeds on many trees and shrubs (see list below). The species overwinters as a pupa.

Natural History

Historically, the buff-tip moth has been referred to as a pest due to their tendency to feast upon apple trees in Lithuania during the 1900s. Outbreaks of this species may increase in areas with high levels of environmental nitrogen compounds.

Recorded food plants

For details see Robinson et al., 2010.
*''Acer'' – Norway maple
*''Betula'' – birch
*''Castanea'' - chestnut
*''Corylus'' – hazel
*''Ribes'' - currantMorimoto, J., & Pietras, Z. (2020). Strong foraging preferences for Ribes alpinum (Saxifragales: Grossulariaceae) in the polyphagous caterpillars of Buff-tip moth Phalera bucephala (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae). Wiley Online Library. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/ece3.6981
*'' Laburnum''
*''Populus'' – poplar
*''Prunus''
*''Quercus'' – oak
*''Robinia''
*''Rosa'' – rose
*''Salix'' – willow
*''Tilia'' – lime
*''Ulmus'' – elm
*''Viburnum''

Subspecies

*''P. b. bucephala''
*''P. b. tenebrata''

Gallery

Image:Phalera_bucephala_-_Mondvogel_04_(HS).JPG, Eggs
Image:Phalera bucephala 20050909 416.jpg, Caterpillar
File:Härkäpää (Phalera bucephala) Säppi.JPG, Adult in profile
Bucéphale 01.jpg, Adult back
Bucéphale 02.jpg, Adult front
File:Phalera bucephala MHNT.jpg, Male
File:Cazeaux-de-Larboust bois du Lys rouge.JPG, Habitat

Notes

References

*
*

Further reading

* South R. (1907) ''The Moths of the British Isles'', (First Series), Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., London & NY: 359 pp. online

External links

*

''Fauna Europaea''

''Lepiforum e.V.''

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1621049

Notodontidae
Moths described in 1758
Moths of Asia
Moths of Europe
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus