Calophasia lunula · trumpasparnis naktinukas «Calophasia lunula · trumpasparnis naktinukas^Thumbnails«Calophasia lunula · trumpasparnis naktinukas^Thumbnails«Calophasia lunula · trumpasparnis naktinukas^Thumbnails

Calophasia lunula · trumpasparnis naktinukas

  • toadflax brocade moth
  • Möndcheneule, Hellgraue Leinkraut-Kappeneule
  • nocena księżycówka

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calophasia_lunula The female lays anywhere from 30 to 80 eggs on the leaves and flowers of toadflax (Linaria) plants. In one to two weeks the larva emerges from the egg and begins feeding. This caterpillar undergoes five molts during a one-month period. The first-stage larva is about 5 millimeters long and dark gray in color. The eyecatching older larvae are black and white spotted with bright yellow stripes. The mature larva is about 4 centimeters long. After this stage it pupates through the winter in a cocoon of chewed plant matter and leaf litter.

The larvae consume all the new leaf and flower buds first and then move on to eat stems, leaves, and flowers, often to the point of complete defoliation of large numbers of toadflax plants. This does not necessarily kill the plants but it severely reduces their ability to produce seeds and propagate. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against yellow toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) and Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria genistifolia ssp. dalmatica) in areas where they are considered noxious weeds in North America.

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