Page 358 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Brahmaeidae
DISTRIBUTION Europe, Asia Minor, and Russia to the Ural Mountains
HABITAT Farmlands, orchards, grasslands, wet meadows, and fens
HOST PLANTS Yarrow (Achillea spp.), hawkweed (Hieracium spp.),
and dandelion (Taraxacum spp.)

NOTE Hairy caterpillar of a day- ying moth
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but locally vulnerable

ADULT WINGSPAN
1¾–2 ⁄ in (45–65 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1 ⁄ in (40 mm)
LEMONIA DUMI
LEMONIA DUMI
356
(LINNAEUS, 1761)

Female Lemonia dumi moths lay their brown eggs in clusters
around the stems of the food plant. The eggs overwinter and the
caterpillars hatch in early summer. The larvae feed on a range of
food plants belonging to the Asteraceae family, including weeds
such as dandelion. After the nal instar, they move to the ground

to pupate, crawling into underground chambers. The day- ying

moths emerge late in the year, and are seen on warm days in
October and November.

This species has su ered a sharp decline in recent decades due to

loss of its habitat through farm intensi cation, the use of arti cial

fertilizers, land drainage, and the loss of traditional orchards.
The genus Lemonia comprises about 12 species, found in Europe
and temperate parts of Asia. Once considered to be in the family
Lemoniidae, it is now, thanks to recent DNA analysis, placed in

The Lemonia dumi caterpillar is dark brown the family Brahmaeidae.
black in color and covered in short, orange-
brown tufts of long hairs. It also has pairs of
pale white and black marks along the back.

Actual size