Limacodidae
The Festoon
APODA limacodes (Hufnagel, 1766)
The Festoon
APODA limacodes (Hufnagel, 1766)
Kind permission - © Tim Norriss
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 24-28mm
Worldwide Distribution: western Europe(absent from most of Iberian peninsula to Urals and western Asia
UK Distribution: Occurs locally in central southern and south east England and rarer in East Anglia and the Midlands
UK Conservation Status:-
Habitat: Mature deciduous woodland : Scrub : Heathland : Hedgerows
Similar Species -
Overwinters as: Fully grown larva hibernates in a cocoon
Observations: The moth is a nationally scarce(Nb) moth restricting national distribution to between 31-100 - 10km squares in Britain although there are signs this situation is improving with warmer summers.
The females are light straw brown with two cross-lines that start at the termen, and the dorsum near the base, and converge at the costa.
The males are smaller than the females and much darker brown,especially the area within the two cross-lines.
The moth is nocturnal and is attracted to the light trap.
Worldwide Distribution: western Europe(absent from most of Iberian peninsula to Urals and western Asia
UK Distribution: Occurs locally in central southern and south east England and rarer in East Anglia and the Midlands
UK Conservation Status:-
- Notable ( Nb ) = 31 - 100 10Km Squares
- Least Concern
- Phalaena limacodes Hufnagel, 1766
- Bombyx testudo ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
- Not Specified
Habitat: Mature deciduous woodland : Scrub : Heathland : Hedgerows
Similar Species -
- None
Overwinters as: Fully grown larva hibernates in a cocoon
Observations: The moth is a nationally scarce(Nb) moth restricting national distribution to between 31-100 - 10km squares in Britain although there are signs this situation is improving with warmer summers.
The females are light straw brown with two cross-lines that start at the termen, and the dorsum near the base, and converge at the costa.
The males are smaller than the females and much darker brown,especially the area within the two cross-lines.
The moth is nocturnal and is attracted to the light trap.
Photo Gallery
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website
where further information like photos,physical
characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal
uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
- Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
- Betulaceae - The Birch Family
- Carpinus betulus - Hornbeam
- Quercus robur - Pedunculate Oak - Common Oak
- Fagaceae - Oak - Chestnut - Beech Family
- Fagus sylvatica - Beech
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - APODA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms/Aberrations |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Zygaenoidea Limacocidae APODA Haworth, 1809 Apoda limacodes (Hufnagel,1766) - Bombyx testudo ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) - PHALAENA limacodes (Hufnagel, 1766) = Phalaena avellana (Linnaeus, 1758) = Bombyx testudo ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) = Phalaena funalis (Donovan, 1794) - Berlin. Magazin 3 (4) : Title Page : p.402 n.78 - Not Specified - A.l.f.bufo Fabricius, 1787-Median area darker A.l.f.suffusa Seitz, 1912-wings much darker A.l.f.maculata Seitz, 1912-forewing inner angle spot visible A.l.f.limax Borkhausen, 1780-spot more elongated along inner edge A.l.f.nigra Tutt, 1899-wings even darkinr but marking visible |