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Erebidae : Lymantriinae

The Vapourer

ORGYIA (Orgyia) antiqua (Linnaeus, 1758)
Picture
Picture
Description
Alternative Name: Rusty Tussock Moth
Wingspan: 25-30mm
Worldwide Distribution: Palaearctic & Nearctic Regions
UK Distribution: Common and well distributed throughout England,Wales,Isle of Man,Ireland and mainland Scotland
UK Conservation Status -
  • Common = >300 10Km Squares
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Phalaena antiqua (Linnaeus, 1758)
Type Species - Orgyia
  • Phalaena antiqua (Linnaeus, 1758)
Type Locality -
  • Not specified-possibly Sweden
Flight Period: South-recorded May to November : North-September to October
Habitat: Woodland : Gardens : Parks : Moorland : Heathland
Similar Species -
  • Scarce Vapourer Orgyia recens Hübner, 1819
Larva: Another of our easily recognised larva it is best described as a wonder of nature.Viewed from side-the larva is black and covered in white hairs,has two forward facing black tufts of hair from the head giving the appearance of horns.Above and below the spiracles is a row of red spots from which the white hairs emanate from.Viewed on top-At abdominal sections 3,4,5 & 6 are tufts of light brown hairs which look like the hairs on a shaving brush and at the rear is another black tuft of hairs looking like a tail.
Pupa: Pupates in a silken cocoon
Overwinters as: Ovum-in batches on empty cocoon of female
Observations: This moth is probably best known by the avid lepidopterist out searching for the Brown Hairstreak in August.It often flies out from the bushes in a wild erratic twisting and turning flight that has one thinking at first its the butterfly quarry and then to be totally frustrated when the moth never lands, which is not surprising as the male is searching for females. I certainly have experienced this phenomenon on may occasions and know how frustrating this moth can be,which is why I was so thrilled when finding one in the moth trap in October.

The males are an inconspicuous brown with two clearly defined cross-lines in darker brown and two white spots behind the postmedial line.

The females of the species is flightless having virtually no wings whatsoever.

The moth, as described above,is a day flyer although occasionally they are attracted by the light of the moth trap.
Photo Gallery
Larva
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 - ORGYIA:

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Subspecies:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuoidea
Erebidae
Lymantriinae
Orgyiini
ORGYIA Ochsenheimer 1810
Orgyia Ochsenheimer 1810
Orgyia (Orgyia) antiqua (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Phalaena antiqua (Linnaeus, 1758)
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PHALAENA antiqua (Linnaeus, 1758)
= Phalaena paradoxa Retzius, 1783
= Orgyia confinis Grum-Grshimailo, 1891
= Orgyia zimmermanni Graeser, 1888
= Bombyx gonostigma Scopoli, 1763
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Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.503 - n.37
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Not Specified
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O.a.f.infernalis Rebel, 1910-Sooty brown on most of forewing
O.a.f.dilineata Lempke, 1959-cros-lines missing
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O.a.nova Fitch, 1863-Newfoundland : Canada - to (Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa, Montana, Idaho)
O.a.badia H Edwards,1873-British Columbia - N.California
O.a.argillacea Furguson, 1978-Alaska