Page 360 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Endromidae
DISTRIBUTION United Kingdom (only Scottish Highlands and possibly
Worcestershire), Europe, across Asia to Siberia and
northern China
HABITAT Deciduous woodlands dominated by birch (Betula spp.),
coppiced woodlands, moorlands, and bog edge woodlands
HOST PLANTS Deciduous trees, including alder (Alnus spp.), birch (Betula spp.),
hazel (Corylus spp.), and European Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)
NOTE Species with a pupal period lasting up to three years
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but scarce in parts of its range

ADULT WINGSPAN
2–2¾ in (50–70mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2 in (50 mm)
ENDROMIS VERSICOLORA
KENTISH GLORY
358
(LINNAEUS, 1758)

Kentish Glory females lay up to 250 yellow-brown eggs in rows
on thin branches of the host trees. The caterpillars, initially
colored black, hatch 10 to 14 days later and stay together at rst

in groups of up to 30. Later, they move apart and feed alone at

night, descending to the ground after the nal molt to pupate,
spinning a cocoon about an inch deep in moss. They may remain
in the cocoon for up to three years before emerging as adults.

The day-flying adults are among the earliest moths to be
on the wing, emerging in late winter. Named for the English
county of Kent, where it was once abundant, the increasingly
scarce Kentish Glory moth is no longer found in England—
except possibly for an isolated community in the county of
Worcestershire—and is declining across the rest of its range.
This reduction in numbers is due primarily to habitat loss, as the

The Kentish Glory caterpillar is bright green, open, birch-dominated woodland the species prefers is cleared.
with a dorsal green line, lateral cream, oblique
stripes, and white spiracles. The body is covered
with tiny, black spots. The horned tail is similar to
that of a hawkmoth caterpillar but much smaller.
Just before pupating, the caterpillar becomes
darker in color.

Actual size