Erebidae : Arctiinae
The Cinnabar
TYRIA jacobaeae (Linnaeus, 1758)
The Cinnabar
TYRIA jacobaeae (Linnaeus, 1758)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 35-45mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : West Asia : Altai : Xinjiang : British Columbia : California : Introduced into North America, Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania
UK Distribution: Resident. Common and widespread throughout most of England,Wales and the Isle of Man. : North of England and Scotland-Local,with a tendency to be coastal.
Channel Isles-Widespread and common.
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Gardens : Wodland Rides : Grassland : Heathland : Downland : Sand Dunes
Similar Species -
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: This moth that gets its name from the red coloured mineral named Cinnabar is unmistakeable in the field with its red sub costal stripes and red apical spots against a grey background on its forewings and red hindwings edged with dark grey along the fringe.
It is often seen flying during the day, flying from dusk to early evening although the flight is weak and the moth is easily put to ground with wind gusts etc.
It is also known to be a night time flyer as well and is attracted to light.
Although native in Europe and Asia the moth has been introduced into North America,New Zealand and Australia as a biological control against its larval food plant Ragwort, where large swathes can be defoliated by the Cinnabar larvae.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : West Asia : Altai : Xinjiang : British Columbia : California : Introduced into North America, Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania
UK Distribution: Resident. Common and widespread throughout most of England,Wales and the Isle of Man. : North of England and Scotland-Local,with a tendency to be coastal.
Channel Isles-Widespread and common.
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
- Vulnerable
- BAP : 2007 - Priority Species
- Least Concern
- Phalaena jacobaeae (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Phalaena jacobaeae (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Not Specified
Habitat: Gardens : Wodland Rides : Grassland : Heathland : Downland : Sand Dunes
Similar Species -
- None
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: This moth that gets its name from the red coloured mineral named Cinnabar is unmistakeable in the field with its red sub costal stripes and red apical spots against a grey background on its forewings and red hindwings edged with dark grey along the fringe.
It is often seen flying during the day, flying from dusk to early evening although the flight is weak and the moth is easily put to ground with wind gusts etc.
It is also known to be a night time flyer as well and is attracted to light.
Although native in Europe and Asia the moth has been introduced into North America,New Zealand and Australia as a biological control against its larval food plant Ragwort, where large swathes can be defoliated by the Cinnabar larvae.
Photo Gallery
Larva
Larva: July-Early September : The larvae take toxins from their larval food plant,Ragwort which make them poisonous
to any predator and the brightly coloured yellow and black bands advertise this as well as the bright red of the imago. As such they tend to sit openly on the food-plant during the day with no fear of predation.
The larvae tend to be cannibalistic,sometimes due to a lack of food-plant although this is not always the case.
Probably one of the best known summer larvae in their yellow suits with black rings wrapped around the abdominal segments
Larva: July-Early September : The larvae take toxins from their larval food plant,Ragwort which make them poisonous
to any predator and the brightly coloured yellow and black bands advertise this as well as the bright red of the imago. As such they tend to sit openly on the food-plant during the day with no fear of predation.
The larvae tend to be cannibalistic,sometimes due to a lack of food-plant although this is not always the case.
Probably one of the best known summer larvae in their yellow suits with black rings wrapped around the abdominal segments
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.
- Asteraceae - Compositae - Aster-Daisy - Sunflower Family
- Pluchea odorata - Sweetscent - Salt Marsh Fleabane
- Senecio squalidus - Oxford Ragwort
- Senecio jacobaea - Common Ragwort
- Senecio vulgaris - Groundsel
- Sonchus oleraceus - Sow Thistle
- Tssilago farfara - Coltsfoot
- Cannabidaceae - Hemp/Hop Family
- Humulus lupulus - Hop
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Subtribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - TYRIA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms/Aberrations: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Noctuoidea Erebidae Arctiinae Arctiini Callimorphina TYRIA Hübner, [1819] Tyria jacobaeae (Linnaeus, 1758) - Phalaena jacobaeae (Linnaeus, 1758) - PHALAENA jacobaeae (Linnaeus, 1758) = Noctua jacobaeae Linnaeus, 1758 = Tyria confluens Schultz, 1908 = senecionis Latreille, 1809 = Callimorpha senecionis Godart, 1822 - Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.511 - n.81 - Not Specified - T.j.f.fulvescens Spuler, 1906-Very rare-red replaced by yellow T.j.f.flavescens Thierry-Mieg, 1889-Hindwing can be orange-yellow T.j.f.grisescens Spuler, 1906-Hindwing can be grey T.j.f.gilleti André, 1901-Forewing distal spots linked to form a line and prolong subcostal line |