66.007 : 1637 : 6752
Lasiocampidae : Lasiocampinae

Oak Eggar

LASIOCAMPA (Lasiocampa) quercus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Northern Eggar
 Lasiocama quercus f.callunae Palmer, 1847 - The Northern Eggar occurs in northern England, Wales, Scotland,Ireland and Germany -
Wings rusty brown,basal area yellow,distal area widely suffused with yellow - larvae feed on Heather
Picture
Kind permission - © J Stokes
Life Cycle Guide
Picture
Description
Wingspan: Male - 58 - 74mm Female - 72 - 90mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - ( Excluding - Azores,Canary Is.,Crete,Cyprus,Madeira and Sardinia) : eastwards to Altai      
UK Distribution: See above and below for each "forms" distribution
UK Conservation Status -
  • Common for both
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Phalaena (Bombyx) quercus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Type Species -
  • Phalaena quercus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Type Locality -
  • Europe
Flight Period: South - July - August - univoltine : North - late May - July - univoltine
Habitat: Heathland : Moorland : woodland Edges : Hedgerows : Breckland : Downland : Fens : Sand-dunes : Sea-cliffs
Similar Species -
  • None - unmistakeable
Larva: The 80mm final instar larva is blackish brown covered with thich pale greyish white hairs dorsally and light brownish hairs along sides.Head is speckled grey and brown. The spiracles show clearly and are white.In the northern population (Northern Eggar) a melanic form of the larva occurs.
Pupa: Pupates inside a tough cocoon
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: The male is deep rich brown with a pronounced white discal spot and pale cross bands which are the only features on an otherwise plain forewing. The female is buff or light brown with similar pattening to the male.
The Northern Eggar is a form of the Oak Eggar and undergoes a two year cycle especially further north into Scotland and is larger than the Oak Eggar with the female being browner.
The males are diurnal and known for their erratic flight with zigzag motion especially along cliff edges in the afternoon sunshine as I have encountered near Portreath in Cornwall where some examples resemble the Northern Eggar.
The female flies from early dusk and comes to light early in the night.
Subspecies
Lasiocampa quercus quercus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Oak Eggar -
The Oak Eggar is found in southern and eastern England, East Anglia, the south Midlands and the Cheshire and Lancashire coasts
Larvae
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
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Type Species - LASIOCAMPA:

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Forms:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Lasiocampoidea
Lasiocampidae
Lasiocampinae
Lasiocampini
LASIOCAMPA Shrank, 1802
Lasiocampa Shrank, 1802
Lasiocampa (Lasiocampa) quercus (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Phalaena quercus Linnaeus, 1758
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PHALAENA (Bombyx) quercus (Linnaeus, 1758)
= spartii Hübner, 1803
= roboris Schrank, 1801
= guillemotii Trimoulet, 1858
= viburni Guenée, 1858
= catalaunica Staudinger, 1871
= tenuata Fuchs, 1880
= lapponica Fuchs, 1880
= dalmatina Gerhard, 1882
= burdigalensis Gerhard, 1882
= subalpina Agassiz, 1900
= meridionalis Tutt, 1901
= agsutilinea Valle, 1930
= montana Bergmann, 1953
= scopolii Carnelutti & Michieli, 1960
= Lasiocampa altaica Grünberg 1911
= Lasiocampa angustilinea Valle 1930
= Lasiocampa catalaunica Staudinger 1871
= Lasiocampa curvata Tutt 1902
= Bombyx dalmatina Gerhard, 1882
= Lasiocampa defascia Bytinski-Salz 1939
= Lasiocampa doriai Rocci & Turati 1921/26
= Bombyx familiaris Newman, 1849
= Lasiocampa fasciarecedens Lempke 1960
= Lasiocampa feminicolorata Cockayne 1945
= Lasiocampa femini-colorata Niepelt 1907
= Lasiocampa feminicula Von Froreich 1942
= Bombyx fenestrata Gerhard, 1882
= Lasiocampa ferruginea Lambillion 1900
= Lasiocampa guillemotii Trimoul 1858
= Lasiocampa hastifera Stauder 1925
= Bombyx lapponica Fuchs, 1880
= Lasiocampa latovirgata Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa lurida Cockayne 1951
= Lasiocampa macropuncta Lempke 1960
= Lasiocampa marginata Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa meridionalis Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa montana Bergmann 1953
= Lasiocampa morleyi Cockayne 1951
= Lasiocampa oblivacea Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa obsoleta Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa ochracea-marginata Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa ochracea-obsoleta Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa ochracea-semimarginata Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa olivaceo-fasciata Cockerell 1889
= Lasiocampa poveyi Smith 1954
= Lasiocampa purpurascens Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa purpurascens-basipuncta Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa purpurascens-curvata Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa purpurascens-latovirgata Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa purpurascena-marginata Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa purpurascena-semimarginata Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa pusilla Dormal 1910
= Lasiocampa reversa Von Froreich 1942
= Lasiocampa roboris Schrank 1801
= Lasiocampa rufescens-marginata Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa rufescens-semimarginata Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa rufescens-virgata Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa russica Grünberg 1911
= Lasiocampa scopariae Guenée 1868
= Bombyx scopariae Caradja, 1893
= Lasiocampa semifasciata Wagner 1919
= Lasiocampa semimarginata Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa sicula Staudinger 1861
= Lasiocampa sicula-latovirgata Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa sicula-marginata Tutt 1902
= Lasiocampa spadicea Wagner 1926
= Bombyx spartii Hübner, 1802/08
= Lasiocampa striata Von Froreich 1942
= Lasiocampa subalpina Agassiz 1900
= Bombyx tenuata Fuchs, 1880
= Lasiocampa viburni Guenée 1858
= Lasiocampa virgata Tutt 1902
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Phalaena quercus quercus (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page :  p.498- n. 13
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Europe
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L.q.sicula (Staudinger, 1861) - Sicily - hindwing terminal area suffused with yellow, male & female,
L.q.balcanoturkika De Freina, 1981 - Turkey, Balkans - resembles european populations
L.q.quercus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Oak Eggar - nominate subspecies - The Oak Eggar is found in southern and eastern England, East Anglia, the south Midlands and the Cheshire and Lancashire coasts
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L.q.f.olivacea Tutt, 1902 - greenish shade to wings
L.q.f.obsoleta Tutt, 1902 - females with single colour,no markings
L.q.f.feminicolorata Niepelt, 1907 - male yellow as female,discal spot may be cuneiform instead of round
L.q.f.spartii Hübner, 1803 - marginal area clearly marked,brown cross line moderate thickness
L.q.f.catalaunica Staudinger, 1871 - cross lines very narrow,marginal area widened - described from Catalonia
L.q.f.roboris Schrank, 1801 - marginal area yellow - described from Bavaria
L.q.f.guillemotii Trimoulet, 1858 - marginal area coompletely yellow - described from Gironde de France
L.q.f.alpina Frey, 1880 - wings deeper colour- leather brown,forewing cross lines narrow,creamy yellow
L.q.f.callunae Palmer, 1847 - The Northern Eggar occurs in northern England, Wales, Scotland,Ireland and Germany - Wings rusty brown,basal area yellow,distal area widely suffused with yellow - larvae feed on Heather