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Erebidae : Lymantriinae

Dark Tussock

DICALLOMERA fascelina (Linnaeus, 1758)
Picture
Kind permission - © Tim Norriss
Life Cycle Guide
Picture
Description
 Wingspan: 40 - 53mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - less (Channel Isles,S Russia & Mediterranean Islands) : C.Asia : Korea
UK Distribution: Distributed in S England,parts of N England,Central Scotland,parts of Ireland
UK Conservation Status -
  • Local = 101 - 300  10km squares
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Phalaena (Bombyx) fascelina Linnaeus, 1758
Type Species - Dicallomera
  • Phalaena fascelina Linnaeus, 1758
Type Locality -
  • (Europe)
Flight Period: July - August
Habitat: Heathland : Moorland : Coastal sand - dunes
Similar Species -
None - unmistakeable
Larva: The 45mm final instar larva is black covered with yellow hairs apart from segments 4th to 7th which have black tipped white tufts of bristles dorsally.
Pupa: Pupates in a cocoon spun on vegetation.
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: Typically on both the Pale and Dark Tussocks the resting posture is the same with very hairy front legs positioned forward.
The two moths have different flight periods apart from a slight overlap in July making it unlikely the two species can be confused.
The moth forewing is usually, as by name dark, with black speckles all over.
Both median lines are clearly defined in black with small orange markings from basal area to the postmedian line.Dark forms of the moth are usually occur in northern England and Scotland with the lightest being in southern England.

Moth is attracted to light.

Photo Gallery
Larva
Laval 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 DICALLOMERA:

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Subspecies:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuoidea
Erebidae
Lymantriinae
Orgyiini
DICALLOMERA Butler,1881
Dicallomera fascelina (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Phalaena fascelina Linnaeus, 1758
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PHALAENA (Bombyx) fascelina Linnaeus, 1758
= Orgyia obscura Zetterstedt, 1839
= Gluphisia(?) conspersa Walker, 1865
= Dasychira nivalis Staudinger, 1887
= Dasychira fascelina angelus Tschetverikov, 1904
= Dasychira caucasica Sheljuzhko, 1918
= alpina Kitt, 1926
= nigrotecta Dannehl, 1929
= motojondensis (Bryk, 1949)
= fischeri Daniel, 1952
= Olene fascelina iberica Agenjo, 1957
= brevipennis (Hoffmeyer, 1958)
= tristrigata (Lempke, 1959)
= Dasychira fascelina salangi Ebert, 1968
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Phalaena fascelina fascelina Linnaeus, 1758
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Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.503 - n.36
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(Europe)
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D. f. danieli (de Freina, 1979)