| Dun-bar (Cosmia trapezina (Linnaeus, 1758)) |
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Scientific name: Cosmia trapezina (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: Dun-bar French name: Trapèze Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Heterocera Family: Noctuidae Subfamily: Noctuinae Wingspan: 28 to 38 mm. Biotope: More or less dense forests, parks and gardens. Geographic area: Europe north to mid Scandinavia, Asia east to Japan, North Africa, Asia Minor. Flight time: June to September Number of generations : 1 Caterpillar: Dark or pale green, with three thin whitish or yellowish dorsal lines, one broader lateral stripe of the same colour and numerous black dots circled with white. Host plant: Numerous deciduous trees and shrubs. The Dun-bar caterpillars are known to feed on other caterpillars in addition to the foliage of their host plants. |
The Cosmia genus actually includes 23 species in Eurasia (plus 4 in Africa and 1 in North America). These species are split into 2 subgenera Cosmia and Calymnia depending on a particularity of the females' genitalia. The Dun-bar species belongs to the Calymnia subgenus. The fore wings are variable in colour, greyish brown, reddish brown or yellowish. The median area, which is trapezed-shaped, is delimited by a dark line outlined with whitish. This line is almost straight on the basal side and curved on the margin side. The colour of this median area is either the same as for the remaining part of the wing either darker. There is as small black discal spot and a submarginal row of small black dots. The hind wings are dark grey with a paler area next to the costal edge and next to the margin. They also show a small dark discal spot. The Dun-bar over winters as an egg. |
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I have read that the Dun-bar caterpillar is an important predator of the Winter moth caterpillar (Operophtera brumata), and I have observed many caterpillars of this other species in the immediate neighbourhood. However I have not seen any predation scene. |
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I just need to observe one imago now to complete this page. |
André Bon January 2017
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