| Buff Ermine (Spilarctia lutea (Hufnagel, 1766)) |
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Scientific name: Spilarctia lutea (Hufnagel, 1766) Common name: Buff Ermine French name: Écaille lièvre Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Heterocera Family: Erebidae Subfamily: Arctiinae Wingspan: 34 to 42 mm. Biotope: Many open and semi-wooded habitats, wasteland, roadsides, even in towns. Geographic area: Europe and Asia except in very northern regions, east to Japan and north-eastern China, Near-East. Flight time: Mid-March to mid-May. Number of generations : 2 Caterpillar: The dark greyish brown body is covered with orange warts from which emerge tufts of red bristles. The head is pale brown or red. The flanks are marked with a whitish longitudinal line. Host plant: Many low growing plants, shrubs and trees including Dandelions (Taraxacum spp.), Brambles (Rubus spp.), Plantains (Plantago spp.), Birches (Betula spp., Willows (Salix spp.), etc. |
The Buff Ermine shows variable in colour wings and body, from ochreous yellow to yellowish white. Females are clearly lighter coloured than males. The fore wings bear more or less numerous black spots with in particular one row of spots running from the mid-length of the inner edge to the apex of the wing. The spots close to the inner edge are well marked on the upper side of the wing. The central spots are better marked on the underside but can be distinguished on the upper side. When the moth is landed with its close wings (it is most often observed in this position), these spots draw an upside down V-shaped marking. You can also find some other black spots, on the costal edge in particular. Every abdomen segment is marked with one black spot on the upper side and one black spot on each lateral side. The Buff Ermine can over winter as a chrysalis inside a cocoon on the ground or as a caterpillar from the second yearly brood. None of the similar species like the White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) or the Water Ermine (Spilosoma urticae) show the same upside down V-shaped marking. |
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You can clearly see here the upside down V-shaped marking. The light colour indicates one female. |
André Bon December 2020