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Hepialidae

Ghost Moth

HEPIALUS humuli (Linnaeus, 1758)

Subspecies
H.h.thulensis Newman, 1865 - Shetland and Orkneys
Picture
Life Cycle Guide - Only Adult shown - Larval stage can last 5 years
Picture
Description
Alternative Name: Ghost Swift
Wingspan: Male - 40-70mm Female - 50-75mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - excluding (Azores,Balearic Is.,Canary Is.,Corsica,Crete,Croatia,Cyprus,Madeira,Malta,Portugal,Sardinia,Sicily & Slovenia) : east to Siberia
UK Distribution: Common throughout much of Great Britain and Ireland,Isle of Man,Orkney,Shetland & Hebrides - not Scilly Isles : Channel Isles - no records
UK Conservation Status -
  • Local - H.h.thulensis Newman, 1865
  • Common - H.h.humuli (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • NERC S.41 : 2008 (England) & NERC S.42 : 2009 (Wales) - Species "of principle importance for the purpose of conserving biodiversity
  • Northern Ireland - Priority Species : 2010
  • BAP : 2007 - Priority Species
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Phalaena (Noctua) humuli (Linnaeus, 1758)
Type Species - Hepialus
  • Phalaena humuli (Linnaeus, 1758)
Type Locality -
  • Not Specified
Flight Period: June - early September - univoltine
Habitat: Woodland Rides and Clearings : Grassy or Weedy Places
Similar Species -
  • None
Larva: Larvae feed on the roots of the host plants shown below.The 32mm final instar larva is white and glossy,maggot like, with an orange brown shiny head. Spiracles very dark brown.Living underground the larval stage is from July to May of possibly the third year.
Pupa: Pupates in the larval burrow.
Overwinters as: Larva overwinters twice
Observations: The male forewings and hindwings are the same silvery grey colour. The posterior tibia has tuft of hair which is a scent organ.
The female forewing is straw yellow with a rown of pink spots/blothches which run fron close to the apex forward towards base on dorsum side.There is also a pinkish subterminal line. Hindwing yellowish-grey with pinkish hue.
The subspecies H.h.thulensis Newman, 1865 male has highly contrasting markings with lines distinct but not always.
The nominate subspecies male rarely has any forms whereas the opposite is the case with the female.

Both sexes flight at night and come to light.
The males have a characteristic display called lekking at dusk and can involved a number of males swaying to and fro over one spot whilst releasing a goat-like smell which attracts the female, who flies directly towards the male, where they both fall to the ground.
Subspecies
H.h.humuli (Linnaeus, 1758) - nominate subspecies
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.
Larval Food Plants
Taxonomy
Kingdom:
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Type Species - HEPIALUS:

Original Species:
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Forms:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Hepialoidea
Hepialidae
HEPIALUS Fabricius 1775
Hepialus humuli (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Phalaena humuli Linnaeus, 1758
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PHALAENA (Noctua) humuli (Linnaeus, 1758)
= Hepialus thulensis Newman, 1865
= hethlandica Staudinger, 1871
= rosea Petersen, 1902
= grandis Pfitzner, 1912
= dannenbergi Stephan, 1923
= pusillus Stephan, 1923
= faeroensis Dahl, 1954
= fumosa Cockayne, 1955
= radiata Cockayne, 1955
= griseomaculata van Wisselingh, 1965
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Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.508 - n.62
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Not Specified
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H.h.thulensis Newman, 1865 - Shetland and Orkneys
H.h.humuli (Linnaeus, 1758) - nominate subspecies
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H.h.f.azuga Pfitzner, 1912 - female - wide area of pink
H.h.f.albider Spuler, 1910 - female - forewing pale yellow