Page 533 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Notodontidae
TRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION From the Pyrenees across the Alps to the Balkans
DIS
DISTRIBUTION
HABIT
A
HABITAT T Scree and sheltered mountain valleys
HABITAT
HOST PLANTS S Poplar (Populus spp.) and willow (Salix spp.)
T PLANT
HOST PLANTS
HOS
NO
TE
NOTE Brown, hairy caterpillar that is found in alpine areas
NOTE
TUS
T
A
TION S
A
CONSERVATION STATUS
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated
CONSERV
ADULT WINGSPAN
⁄ –¾ in (18–20 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
⁄ –¾ in (15–20 mm)
RHEGMATOPHILA ALPINA
ALPINE PROMINENT 531
(BELLIER DE LA CHAVIGNERIE, 1881)
The caterpillars of the Alpine Prominent moth hatch from eggs
laid on leaves of poplar and willow. The dark brown colors of
the caterpillar provide good camouflage when it rests along
twigs and stems. The brown pupa overwinters and ecloses the
following spring.

The small, gray-brown moth is on the wing from May to
September. There are usually two generations, although in the
northerly parts of the range there may be just one. The moths
are active at night, and during the day they rest on bark, where
their gray-patterned wings blend perfectly with the background
colors of the trees. The name Alpine Prominent comes from the
projecting tuft of hair on the trailing edge of the forewing and
the distribution of the species in alpine regions. The latter is also

re ected in the scienti c name, alpina. The genus Rhegmatophila

is small with just three species.

The Alpine Prominent caterpillar has a brown
body that tapers a little. There are bands of
slightly di erent shades of brown, with whorls
of tubercles that bear tufts of pale brown
hairs. There are two black ventral spots on Actual size
the thorax, and the head is brown with dark
brown markings.