Olive crescent moth  (Trisateles emortualis)

Olive Crescent

Facts

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Insecta
Order Lepidoptera
Family Noctuidae
Genus Trisateles (2)
Size Wingspan: 2.9- 3.5 cm (2)
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Status

Classified as Rare in Great Britain (1).

Description

Adults of the rare Olive Crescent moth are orange-brown in colour with whitish cross-lines (5).

Range

In the UK this species occurs in a small and declining population in the Chilterns in Buckinghamshire, and in two populations in Essex (1). The range extends through most of Europe to Siberia, northern Iran and China (1).

You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network GatewayDisplay NBN Map Button

Habitat

All UK populations occur in woodlands (1).

Biology

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 (2). The overwintering stage is the pupa (2).

Threats

It is thought that changing woodland structure and new management techniques have affected the species (1).

Conservation

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 (1).

The UK Biodiversity Action Plan for this species is available at UK Biodiversity Action Plan

Authentication

Information authenticated by Sean Clancy.

Glossary

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.

References

  1. UK BAP Species Action Plan (Dec 2002):
    http://www.ukbap.org.uk
  2. Skinner, B. (1884) Moths of the British Isles. Penguin Books, Harmondsworth.
  3. South, R. (1961) Moths of the British Isles. Frederick Warne and Co. Ltd., London.
  4. Carter, D.J. and Hargreaves, B. (1986) A field guide to caterpillars of butterflies and moths. William Collins and Sons, London.
  5. Personal observation from images.