Crambidae : Pyraustinae
Mint Moth
PYRAUSTA aurata (Scopoli 1763)
Mint Moth
PYRAUSTA aurata (Scopoli 1763)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Vernacular Name: Small Purple and Gold
Wingspan: 18-20mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : North to Scandinavian countries : East to Greece
UK Distribution: Scattered throughout England,Wales,Southern Scotland and the Inner Hebrides : Channel Isles
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Calcareous grassland : Woodland clearings : Marshland : Gardens : Quarries
Similar Species:-
Pupa: Pupates underground in a cocoon
Overwinters as: Early stage larva
Observations: The Mint Moth P.aurata is a beautiful micro moth that can easily be attracted into a garden by planting its namesake Common Garden Mint Mentha suaveolens, but would suggest it is grown purely for the moth and not for culinary use as the larvae can easily be overlooked especially during the early stages.
The flight period for this moth normally covers two broods(bivoltine) although in my garden the moth produced three overlapping broods (trivoltine) possibly due to a plentiful supply of larval food plant or site location.
P.aurata can be differentiated from its similar species P.purpuralis by its single gold spot on the forewings near the costa with another gold mark between this spot and the costa as opposed to the latter which has a continuous gold broad band usually broken into three segments.
There are also hindwing basal area differences between the two moths with P.aurata unmarked and P.purpuralis having two gold spots or short broad streaks viewed from underside.
Although a daytime flyer P.aurata is attracted to light at night.
Wingspan: 18-20mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : North to Scandinavian countries : East to Greece
UK Distribution: Scattered throughout England,Wales,Southern Scotland and the Inner Hebrides : Channel Isles
UK Conservation Status -
- Common = >300 10Km squares
- Least Concern
- Phalaena aurata Scopoli 1763
- Phalaena cingulata Linnaeus, 1758
- In mountains in Carniolæ
Habitat: Calcareous grassland : Woodland clearings : Marshland : Gardens : Quarries
Similar Species:-
- Pyrausta purpuralis Linnaeus, 1758
Pupa: Pupates underground in a cocoon
Overwinters as: Early stage larva
Observations: The Mint Moth P.aurata is a beautiful micro moth that can easily be attracted into a garden by planting its namesake Common Garden Mint Mentha suaveolens, but would suggest it is grown purely for the moth and not for culinary use as the larvae can easily be overlooked especially during the early stages.
The flight period for this moth normally covers two broods(bivoltine) although in my garden the moth produced three overlapping broods (trivoltine) possibly due to a plentiful supply of larval food plant or site location.
P.aurata can be differentiated from its similar species P.purpuralis by its single gold spot on the forewings near the costa with another gold mark between this spot and the costa as opposed to the latter which has a continuous gold broad band usually broken into three segments.
There are also hindwing basal area differences between the two moths with P.aurata unmarked and P.purpuralis having two gold spots or short broad streaks viewed from underside.
Although a daytime flyer P.aurata is attracted to light at night.
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.
- Lamiaceae - Labiatae - The Mint Family
- Lamium album - White Dead Nettle
- Melissa officinalis - Lemon Balm
- Mentha spicata - Spearmint
- Mentha x villosa alopecuroides - Apple Mint
- Nepeta cataria - Catmint - Catnip
- Origanum vulgare - Oregano - Wild Marjoram - Sweet marjoram
- Salvia pratensis - Meadow Clary
- Thymus polytrichus ssp britanicus - Wild Thyme
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - PYRAUSTA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Group Genus Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms: Subspecies: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Pyraloidea Crambidae Pyraustinae PYRAUSTA Schrank, 1802 Pyrausta aurata (Scopoli, 1763) - Phalaena cingulata Linnaeus, 1758 - PHALAENA aurata (Scopoli 1763) = Pyrausta auratus Scopoli, 1763 = Pyrausta punicealis Denis & Schiffermüller,1775 = Pyrausta deficiens Dufrane, 1957 = Pyrausta inciae Koçak, 1981 = Botys purpuralis var. meridionalis Staudinger, 1879 - PYRAUSTA Schrank 1802-Genus = Haematia Hübner 1825 = Syllythria Hübner 1825 - Entomologia Carniolica exhibens insecta Carnioliæ indigena et distributa in ordines, genera, species, varietates. Methodo Linnæana. - pp. [1-35], 1-420, [1]. Vindobonae. (Trattner) : Title Page : p.227 - n.565 - In montanis Carniolæ - P.a.f.inciae Koçak,1982 - hindwing extensively suffused yellow - nominate ssp. P.a.f.niepoldalis Lederer,1863 - marking nearly faded out-black hindwing - P.a.aurata (Scopoli,1763) - Nominate subspecies - southern Europe & Middle East P.a.punicealis ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775) - reduced yellow markings |