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Erebidae : Arctiinae

Buff Ermine

SPILOSOMA lutea (Hüfnagel, 1766)
Picture
Life Cycle Guide
Picture
Description
Wingspan: 28-40mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : Central Asia : East Asia : Japan : Asia Minor : Caucasus
UK Distrbution: Resident : Common and frequent throughout England,Wales,Isle of Man and Channel Islands : Scotland-mainland-local : South-west Scotland-more frequent
UK Conservation Status -
  • 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
  • Common 
  • BAP : 2007 - Priority Species
  • Vulnerable
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Phalaena lutea Hufnagel 1766
Type Species - Spilosoma
  • Phalaena lubricipeda lutea Hufnagel 1766
Type Locality -
  • Not Specified
Flight Period: May-July-single generation
Habitat: Uses many habitat types including-gardens : Woodland : Parks : Hedgerows
Similar Species -
  • White Ermine Spilosoma lubricipeda (Linnaeus, 1758)
Larva: Seen July-October.The black final instar larva is covered in ginger brown hairs and has a white lateral line viewed from side.
Pupa: Pupates in a cocoon amongst plant debris.
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: The Buff Ermine is an easy moth to recognise with its buff-yellow/whitish buff forewings with paler hindwings.
The row of elongated spots run diagonally from the forewing apex to the centre of the dorsum.
The remaining forewing spots vary considerably both in number and in shape,sometimes forming streaks.
The moth's abdomen is yellow on the upperside and whitish on the underside with a row of black spots along the central dividing line between the two colours.
The similar species White Ermine S.lubricipeda is easily differentiated from the Buff Ermine as they do not have the diagonal row of spots on the forewing.

The moth is attracted to light and sometimes appears in numbers.

Subspecies
S. l. luteum Hufnagel, 1766-Europe : N.Asia Minor : W.Caucasus : W.Georgia : N.Kazakhstan : S.Siberia
Ova
Larva
The larva of the buff Ermine is polyphagous feeding on many plant genera from many plant families(See below).
The larva is usually found between July and October
Pupa
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Buff Ermine larvae are polyphagous,feeding on plant families described below plant photos.
The larvae also feed on the following list of hostplant names :-
:
Note:- This moth larvae was also found feeding on Buddleja Davidii "Black Knight". See above.
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 - SPILOSOMA:

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Subspecies:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuoidea
Erebidae
Arctiinae
Arctiini
Arctiina
SPILOSOMA Curtis, 1825
Spilosoma lutea (Hufnagel, 1766)
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Phalaena lubricipeda (Linnaeus, 1758)
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PHALAENA lutea (Hufnagel 1766)
= Spilarctia luteum
= Belciana siitanae Remm, 1983
= Diacrisia lutea
= Spilarctia lutea
= Spilarctia lutea lutea.
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Berlin. Magazin. 4 (6) : Title Page : p.412 - n.XXV1
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Not Specified
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S.l.unicolor Homberg, 1907-Wings uniform yellow
S.l.zatima Stoll, 1781-Suffused with black
S.l.totanigra Seitz, 1910-All black
S.l.fasciata Tugwell, 1894-Cross-lines very distinct
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S.l.luteum Hufnagel, 1766-Europe : N.Asia Minor : W.Caucasus : W.Georgia : N.Kazakhstan : S.Siberia
S.l.japonicum Rothchild, 1910-Middle Amur : Primorye : S.Sakhalin : S.Kuril Is. : E.China : Korea : Japan