Kingdom Animalia Superfamily Noctuoidea Genus Cybosia Phylum Arthropoda Order Butterflies and moths | Class Insecta Family Erebidae Scientific name Cybosia mesomella Rank Species | |
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Similar Cybosia, Butterflies and moths, Nudaria mundana, Atolmis rubricollis, Manulea complana | ||
Cybosia mesomella, the four-dotted footman, is a moth of the family Erebidae.
Contents
Forms
Description
The wingspan is 25–33 mm. The basic color of the forewings may be yellow or ivory- greyish with yellow borders. The forewings show in the middle four small black dots (hence the common name of this species). The hind wings are gray, sometimes with yellowish edges. The thorax and the abdomen are whitish, covered with fine hairs.
Biology
This species has one annual generation. Females lay eggs in early July on the larva food plants. The eggs hatch in August or early September, the larva overwinter and pupate the following spring, from May up to at the beginning of June. The moth flies fly at dusk from June to mid-August depending on location. The larva feed mainly after dark on low vegetation such as heather, willows, Leontodon autumnalis and Vaccinium uliginosum. They are lichen and algae feeders like most other lithosiines.
Distribution
This species can be found in most of Europe except Spain, in the East Palearctic ecozone and in the Near East.
Habitat
Cybosia mesomella prefers warm, moist and sunny environment, deciduous and mixed forests, heaths, moorland, damp grassland, fens, wet meadows and open woodlands.