Page 584 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Erebidae
DISTRIBUTION Western North America, Europe, Middle East, and area of
central Asia, east to northern China; also New Zealand
HABITAT Scrub, grasslands, and wastelands
HOST PLANTS Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) and Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)
NOTE Striking caterpillar that gains its toxicity from its host plant
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but quite common

ADULT WINGSPAN

1⅜–1¾ in (35–45 mm)

CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1 ⁄ in (30 mm)
TYRIA JACOBAEAE
CINNABAR
582
(LINNAEUS, 1758)

Cinnabar moth caterpillars hatch from eggs laid in clutches of
up to 40 on the underside of leaves. The caterpillars are yellow
at rst but soon gain their characteristic stripes. The larvae are

gregarious and quickly defoliate food plants, hence their value as
a control agent for Ragwort, which is classed as a noxious weed.
For this reason, the species has been introduced to New Zealand
and Tasmania. When fully developed, the caterpillars pupate
on the ground, and the pupae overwinter in a sparse cocoon
within the leaf litter. The red, day- ying adult moths are on the

wing from May to July.

The caterpillar is one of the world’s most poisonous larvae,
gaining its toxicity from the host plant, Ragwort, which is
The Cinnabar caterpillar is brightly colored with rich in alkaloids. The larva is unaffected by the poison it
bands of orange and black. There are sparsely accumulates but is noxious to any predators. The poison passes
scattered long, white hairs and shorter, dark
hairs. The head, legs, and prolegs are black. from caterpillar to adult. The Cinnabar moth is named for the
adult’s bright color; cinnabar, a scarlet to brick-red mineral, was
once used as an artist’s pigment.

Actual size