Olive crescent moth (Trisateles emortualis)
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Class | Insecta |
| Order | Lepidoptera |
| Family | Noctuidae |
| Genus | Trisateles (1) |
| Size | Wingspan: 2.9- 3.5 cm (1) |
Classified as Rare in Great Britain (2).
Adults of the rare Olive Crescent moth are orange-brown in colour with whitish cross-lines (3).
In the UK this species occurs in a small and declining population in the Chilterns in Buckinghamshire, and in two populations in Essex (2). The range extends through most of Europe to Siberia, northern Iran and China (2).
All UK populations occur in woodlands (2).
A single-brooded species, adults fly in June and July. Caterpillars can be found between August and early October feeding on withered oak and beech leaves, either on the ground, on fallen branches, or on damaged branches still attached to the tree (1). The overwintering stage is the pupa(1).
It is thought that changing woodland structure and new management techniques have affected the species (2).
A Species Action Plan has been produced for the Olive Crescent moth, which aims to maintain the present populations of the species, and has proposed a programme of monitoring (2).
Information authenticated by Sean Clancy.
- 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.
- Skinner, B. (1884) Moths of the British Isles. Penguin Books, Harmondsworth.
- UK BAP Species Action Plan (Dec 2002): http://www.ukbap.org.uk
- Personal observation from images.