Diaphora mendica
Encyclopedia
The Muslin Moth is a moth
of the family Arctiidae
. It is found in the Palearctic ecozone east to Baikal
Lake.
The wingspan
is 28–38 mm. There is clear sexual dimorphism
in the imago
, with the male having a brownish gray colour and a forewing length of 14–17 mm, and the female being white and a having a forewing length of 17–19 mm. The female resembles Spilosoma lubricipeda
, but that species has longer and smaller wings and a yellow and black back. The moth flies April to July depending on the location.
The larvae feed on Birch
, Willow
, Rumex
, Lamium
and Plantago
.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the family Arctiidae
Arctiidae
Arctiidae is a large and diverse family of moths with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species. This family includes the groups commonly known as tiger moths , which usually have bright colours, footmen , lichen moths and wasp moths...
. It is found in the Palearctic ecozone east to Baikal
Baikal
Baykal commonly refers to Lake Baikal in southern Siberia, Russia.Baykal or Baikal may also refer to:-Russia:*Baykal, Irkutsk Oblast, an urban-type settlement*Baykal, Aurgazinsky District, Republic of Bashkortostan, a village...
Lake.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 28–38 mm. There is clear sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
in the imago
Imago
In biology, the imago is the last stage of development of an insect, after the last ecdysis of an incomplete metamorphosis, or after emergence from the pupa where the metamorphosis is complete...
, with the male having a brownish gray colour and a forewing length of 14–17 mm, and the female being white and a having a forewing length of 17–19 mm. The female resembles Spilosoma lubricipeda
Spilosoma lubricipeda
The White Ermine is a moth of the family Arctiidae. It is found throughout the temperate belt of Eurasia from Europe through Kazakhstan and Southern Siberia to Amur Region, China, Korea and Japan. In China several sibling species occur.The wingspan is 34-48 mm. Wing pattern is very variable, from...
, but that species has longer and smaller wings and a yellow and black back. The moth flies April to July depending on the location.
The larvae feed on Birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, Willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
, Rumex
Rumex
The docks and sorrels, genus Rumex L., are a genus of about 200 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbs in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae....
, Lamium
Lamium
Lamium is a genus of about 40-50 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which family it is the type genus...
and Plantago
Plantago
Plantago is a genus of about 200 species of small, inconspicuous plants commonly called plantains. They share this name with the very dissimilar plantain, a kind of banana. Most are herbaceous plants, though a few are subshrubs growing to 60 cm tall. The leaves are sessile, but have a narrow...
.