Page 327 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Thyrididae
DISTRIBUTION Across central and southern Europe, into Russia as far as the Urals
HABITAT Woodland margins, scrub, grassy slopes, verges, and gardens
HOST PLANTS Burdock (Arctium spp.), Old Man’s Beard (Clematis vitalba),
and Elder (Sambucus nigra)
NOTE Plump, orange caterpillar that builds a distinctive leaf shelter
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but locally endangered

ADULT WINGSPAN
⁄ –¾ in (15–20 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
⅜–½ in (10–12 mm)
THYRIS FENESTRELLA
PYGMY 325

(SCOPOLI, 1763)

The caterpillars of the Pygmy moth hatch from brown eggs
laid up to 80 at a time, widely spaced on leaves. The larvae lead
solitary lives, each one building a leaf shelter by rolling the leaf
tip and securing it with silk. A new shelter is built after each molt,
each shelter getting bigger, until, eventually, a whole leaf is used.
The caterpillar hides in its shelter during the day and emerges
at night to feed. It crawls to the ground to pupate, spinning a
cocoon among dead leaves. The pupa is red brown in color.

The day- ying moths are on the wing from May to August, and

there are two generations. The pupae of the second generation
overwinter. Thyris fenestrella is endangered in parts of its range
due to the clearance of scrub and verges favored by its host
plants. In New Zealand, the Pygmy caterpillar is one of several The Pygmy caterpillar is plump and orange
insects being evaluated as a biological agent to control Clematis in color. There are rings of raised, dark brown
tubercles on each segment, each tubercle
vitalba, an invasive plant. bearing a tuft of short hairs. The head and
legs are a shiny dark brown.

Actual size