Page 612 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Noctuidae
DISTRIBUTION Southern and eastern Europe into southern Russia, Turkey,
and the Middle East
HABITAT Hot, dry, and often rocky slopes, from sea level up to
6,600 ft (2,000 m) elevation
HOST PLANTS Figwort (Scrophularia spp.)
NOTE Brightly colored caterpillar that turns into a drab adult
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated

ADULT WINGSPAN
1 ⁄ in (40 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1⅜–2 in (35–50 mm)

CUCULLIA BLATTARIAE
CUCULLIA BLATTARIAE
610
(ESPER, 1790)

Cucullia blattariae caterpillars hatch from small, round eggs with
a ridged surface, positioned singly, or in small groups, on the
host plant close to ower buds. The larvae feed on the buds and

leaves. The mature caterpillars move to the ground to pupate,
spinning a loose cocoon in the leaf litter.

The night- ying adult moths are on the wing from late March

to May—maybe early August at higher elevations—and there
is a single generation. Some authorities refer to the species as
Shargacucullia blattariae (Esper, 1790), Shargacucullia being
a subgenus. Despite having a distinctive caterpillar and a
European distribution, very little is known about this species,
which may in part be due to the drab nature of the adult moth
The Cucullia blattariae caterpillar is brightly
colored. The body is white with a dorsal line of and confusion with similar-looking caterpillars. For example,
large, black crosses and many smaller, black the more reported Water Betony (Shargacucullia scrophulariae)
spots along the sides. There are two pale
yellow lateral stripes. The head and true legs has a comparable distribution and its caterpillar also feeds on
are brown. Widely spaced black hairs occur

across the whole body. members of the gwort family.

Actual size