Cinnabar moth  (Tyria jacobaeae)

Information authenticated by Roy Leverton with the support of the British Ecological Society:
http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/

• Genus: a category used in taxonomy, which is below ‘family’ and above ‘species’. A genus tends to contain species that have characteristics in common. The genus forms the first part of a ‘binomial’ Latin species name; the second part is the specific name.
• Larval: of the stage in an animal’s lifecycle after it hatches from the egg. Larvae are typically very different in appearance to adults; they are able to feed and move around but are unable to reproduce.
• Pupal stage: stage in an insect’s development, when huge changes occur that reorganise the larval form into the adult form. In butterflies the pupa is also called a chrysalis.
• Pupate: the process of forming a pupa, the stage in an insect’s development, when huge changes occur that reorganise the larval form into the adult form. In butterflies the pupa is also called a chrysalis.
• Single-brooded: (also known as ‘univoltine’). Insect life cycle that takes 12 months to be complete, and involves a single generation. The egg, larva, pupa or adult over winters as a dormant stage.

1. National Biodiversity Network Species Dictionary (September 2003): http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nbn/
2. Carter, D. & Hargreaves, B. (1986) A field guide to caterpillars of butterflies and moths in Britain and Europe. William Collins & Sons Ltd, London.
3. Skinner, B. (1984) Colour identification guide to moths of the British Isles. Penguin Books Ltd, Harmondsworth.
4. Leverton, R. (2004) Pers. comm.