Nine-spotted moth
Encyclopedia
The nine-spotted moth is a moth
in the family Arctiidae
("woolly bears").
It reaches a wing span of 35–40 mm (1.4–1.6 ). Its wings are blueish black with white spots. A further feature is the prominent yellow ring at the abdomen. The black antennae
have white tips.
Similar moths are Amata ragazzii
(Turati, 1917) and Zygaena ephialtes
(Linnaeus, 1758). Z. ephialtes is poisonous for birds and the nine-spotted moth imitates its appearance (mimicry).
The nine-spotted moth is chiefly found in southern Europe but also seen up to northern Germany, and in the East to Anatolia
and the Caucasus
, and there are some populations in the South-Eastern Dutch nature reserves "Leudal" and "De Meinweg" The species prefers drier areas, open ranges with shrubs and trees as well as open forests and slopes.
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...
in 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...
("woolly bears").
It reaches a wing span of 35–40 mm (1.4–1.6 ). Its wings are blueish black with white spots. A further feature is the prominent yellow ring at the abdomen. The black antennae
Antenna (biology)
Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....
have white tips.
Similar moths are Amata ragazzii
Amata ragazzii
Amata ragazzii is a species of moth in the genus Amata of the family Arctiidae ....
(Turati, 1917) and Zygaena ephialtes
Zygaena ephialtes
Zygaena ephialtes is a member of the Zygaenidae family....
(Linnaeus, 1758). Z. ephialtes is poisonous for birds and the nine-spotted moth imitates its appearance (mimicry).
The nine-spotted moth is chiefly found in southern Europe but also seen up to northern Germany, and in the East to Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
and the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, and there are some populations in the South-Eastern Dutch nature reserves "Leudal" and "De Meinweg" The species prefers drier areas, open ranges with shrubs and trees as well as open forests and slopes.