| Buff-tip | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Notodontidae |
| Genus: | Phalera |
| Species: | P. bucephala |
| Binomial name | |
| Phalera bucephala (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
The buff-tip (Phalera bucephala) is a moth of the family Notodontidae. It is found throughout Europe and in Asia to eastern Siberia. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Description
The moth is a fairly large, heavy-bodied species with a wingspan of 55–68 mm (2.2–2.7 in). The forewings are grey with a large prominent buff patch at the apex. As the thoracic hair is also buff, the moth resembles a broken twig when at rest. The hindwings are creamy white. The moth flies at night in June and July and sometimes comes to light, although it is not generally strongly attracted.
The young larvae are gregarious, becoming solitary later. The older larva is very striking, black with white and yellow lines. It feeds on many trees and shrubs (see list below). The species overwinters as a pupa.
Natural History
Historically, the buff-tip moth has been referred to as a pest due to their tendency to feast upon apple trees in Lithuania during the 1900s. Outbreaks of this species may increase in areas with high levels of environmental nitrogen compounds.
Recorded food plants
For details see Robinson et al., 2010.
- Acer – Norway maple
- Betula – birch
- Castanea - chestnut
- Corylus – hazel
- Ribes - currant
- Laburnum
- Populus – poplar
- Prunus
- Quercus – oak
- Robinia
- Rosa – rose
- Salix – willow
- Tilia – lime
- Ulmus – elm
- Viburnum
Subspecies
- P. b. bucephala
- P. b. tenebrata
Gallery
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Eggs
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Caterpillar
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Adult in profile
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Adult back
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Adult front
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Male
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Habitat
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_S%C3%A4ppi.JPG)
Notes
- The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.
References
- Heath, John; Maitland Emmet, A, eds. (1983). The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Volume 9. Sphringidae - Noctuidae. Colchester: Harley Books. p. 41.
- Port, GR; Thompson, JR (1980). "Outbreaks of insect herbivores on plants along motorways in the United Kingdom". Journal of Applied Ecology. 17 (3): 649–656. doi:10.2307/2402643. JSTOR 2402643.
- Morimoto, J; Pietras, Z (2020). "Strong foraging preferences for Ribes alpinum (Saxifragales: Grossulariaceae) in the polyphagous caterpillars of Buff-tip moth Phalera bucephala (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae)". Ecology and Evolution. 10 (24): 13583–13592. doi:10.1002/ece3.6981. PMC 7771136. PMID 33391664.
- Robinson, Gaden S.; Ackery, Phillip R.; Kitching, Ian J.; Beccaloni, George W.; Hernández, Luis M. (2010). "Search the database - introduction and help". HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London.
- Morimoto, J., & Pietras, Z. (2020). Strong foraging preferences for Ribes alpinum (Saxifragales: Grossulariaceae) in the polyphagous caterpillars of Buff-tip moth Phalera bucephala (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae). Wiley Online Library. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/ece3.6981
- Chinery, Michael (1991). Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe.
- Skinner, Bernard (1984). The Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles.
Further reading
- South R. (1907) The Moths of the British Isles, (First Series), Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., London & NY: 359 pp. online
External links
- Kimber, Ian. "71.025 BF1994 Buff-tip Phalera bucephala (Linnaeus, 1758)". UKMoths. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- Fauna Europaea
- Lepiforum e.V.
| Taxon identifiers | |
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| Phalera bucephala |
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