Page 325 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Zygaenidae
DISTRIBUTION Across Europe to western Turkey and the Caucasus, and as far
east as the Urals

HABITAT Dry slopes, cli tops, dry grasslands, and alpine meadows up to
6,600 ft (2,000 m) elevation
HOST PLANTS Low-growing plants, including Lathyrus spp., clover (Trifolium
spp.), and vetch (Vicia spp.)
NOTE Hairy caterpillar that has distinctive rows of black spots
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but regionally rare

ADULT WINGSPAN
1 ⁄ –1 ⁄ in (30–46 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
ZYGAENA LONICERAE 1 ⁄ in (30 mm)
NARROW-BORDERED
FIVE-SPOT BURNET 323

(SCHEVEN, 1777)

The female Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet moth lays her
creamy-yellow and slightly oval eggs in large clusters around
stems and under leaves. The hatched caterpillars feed through
summer and then overwinter, emerging to feed again in spring
and pupate in May. Like other Zygaena species, a proportion
of the caterpillars remain in diapause for the second or even
third winter to reduce the risk of an entire generation being
wiped out by adverse weather. The mature larvae pupate on
the vegetation, spinning a creamy-yellow, elongated cocoon.
The pupa is dark brown.

The day- ying moths, with their bright, red-spotted wings, are
often mistaken for butter ies. They have a variable appearance,

and there are a number of subspecies. The moths are on the wing
in June and July with a single generation. Zygaena lonicerae is
often confused with the Five-spot Burnet (Z. trifolii), which ies

at the same time in similar habitats.

The Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet
caterpillar has a pale yellow body with rows of
rectangular black spots. There are transverse
bands of yellow and tufts of long, white hairs,
which are longer than those on the larvae of
other burnet moths.

Actual size