''Udea ferrugalis'', the rusty dot pearl, is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family Crambidae. The species was first described by

Jacob Hübner Jacob Hübner (20 June 1761 – 13 September 1826, in Augsburg) was a German entomologist. He was the author of ''Sammlung Europäischer Schmetterlinge'' (1796–1805), a founding work of entomology. Scientific career Hübner was the author of '' ...

in 1796.

Distribution

This species can be found in central and southern Europe, Asia Minor,

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Description

The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

is 18–22 mm. The forewings of these small moths have yellow, brown or ferruginous ground colour and prominent indistinct dark brown or blackish markings towards the edge. Hindwings are brownish grey. Legs are whitish.''Hantsmoths''
/ref> Caterpillars can reach a length of . They are greenish with yellowish head.G. Dorem

/ref>

Biology

These moths are bivoltine or trivoltine. The moth flies through the year, but mainly in the autumn, depending on location. The larvae feed on various herbaceous plants, such as '' Stachys'', '' Arctium'', '' Lycopus'', '' Mentha'', '' Eupatorium cannabinum'' and '' Fragaria vesca''. They overwinter in the soil as a chrysalis. This species is sometimes considered a pest, as the larvae attack various crop plants.Alford, David V
''Pests of Fruit Crops: A Colour Handbook'', Second Edition
/ref>

References

External links

''BioLib''

''Lepiforum e. V.''
ferrugalis Moths of Africa Moths of the Comoros Moths of Europe Moths of Iceland Moths of Madagascar Moths of Mauritius Moths of Réunion Moths of Seychelles Moths of Asia Moths described in 1796 Taxa named by Jacob Hübner {{Udea-stub