The six-spot burnet (Zygaena filipendulae) is a day-flying moth of the family Zygaenidae.
Subspecies
- Z. f. altapyrenaica <small>Le Charles, 1950</small>
- Z. f. arctica <small>Schneider, 1880</small>
- Z. f. balcanirosea <small>Holik, 1943</small>
- Z. f. campaniae <small>Rebel, 1901</small>
- Z. f. duponcheli <small>Verity, 1921</small>
- Z. f. filipendulae
- Z. f. gemella <small>Marten, 1956</small>
- Z. f. gemina <small>Burgeff, 1914</small>
- Z. f. gigantea <small>Rocci, 1913</small>
- Z. f. himmighofeni <small>Burgeff, 1926</small>
- Z. f. liguris <small>Rocci, 1925</small>
- Z. f. maior <small>Esper, 1794</small>
- Z. f. mannii <small>Herrich-Schaffer, 1852 </small>
- Z. f. noacki <small>Reiss, 1962</small>
- Z. f. oberthueriana <small>Burgeff, 1926</small>
- Z. f. polygalae <small>(Esper, 1783)</small>
- Z. f. praeochsenheimeri <small>Verity, 1939</small>
- Z. f. pulcherrima <small>Verity, 1921</small>
- Z. f. pulcherrimastoechadis <small>Verity, 1921</small>
- Z. f. pyrenes <small>Verity, 1921</small>
- Z. f. seeboldi <small>Oberthur, 1910</small>
- Z. f. siciliensis <small>Verity, 1917</small>
- Z. f. stephensi <small>Dupont, 1900</small>
- Z. f. stoechadis <small>(Borkhausen, 1793)</small>
- Z. f. zarana <small>Burgeff, 1926</small>
Distribution
Zygaena filipendulae is a common species throughout Europe, except the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula, northern Scandinavia and the Great Russian North. It is also present in Asia, from Anatolia through the Caucasus to Syria and Lebanon.
Habitat
This species can be found in meadows, woodland clearings, sea-cliffs and areas rich in grasses and flowers, up to in altitude.
Description
Zygaena filipendulae has a wingspan of . The sexes are similar. The fore wings are dark metallic green with six vivid red spots (sometimes the spots are merged causing possible confusion with other species such as the five-spot burnet. Occasionally, the spots are yellow or even black. The hind wings are red with a blackish fringe. The larva is plump and hairy with variable markings, usually pale green with rows of black spots.
It is an aposematic moth, being distinguished by its colors as toxic to predators like birds and lizards. If attacked it emits a liquid containing cyanide, which is present in all stages of the life cycle.
Biology
The adults fly on hot, sunny days from June to August, and are attracted to a wide variety of flowers such as knapweed and scabious, as well as the larval food plants bird's foot trefoil, Coronilla and clover.
The species overwinters as a larva. The larva pupates in early summer in a papery cocoon attached to a grass stem.
Lifecycle
Bibliography
- C. M. Naumann, G. M. Tarmann, W. G. Tremewan: The Western Palaearctic Zygaenidae. Apollo Books, Stenstrup, 1999,
- Capinera, J. L. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Entomology, 4 voll., 2nd Ed., Dordrecht, Springer Science+Business Media B.V., 2008, pp. lxiii + 4346,
- Chinery, Michael. Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986. (reprinted 1991).
- Kükenthal, W. (Ed.), Handbuch der Zoologie / Handbook of Zoology, Band 4: Arthropoda - 2. Hälfte: Insecta - Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies, in Kristensen, N. P., Handbuch der Zoologie, Fischer, M. (Scientific Editor), Teilband/Part 35: Vol. 1: Evolution, systematics, and biogeography, Berlino, New York, Walter de Gruyter, 1999 [1998], pp. x + 491,
- Scoble, M. J., The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity, seconda edizione, London, Oxford University Press & Natural History Museum, 2011 [1992], pp. xi, 404,
- Skinner, Bernard.Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984.
- Stehr, F. W. (Ed.), Immature Insects, 2 volumi, seconda edizione, Dubuque, Iowa, Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co., 1991 [1987], pp. ix, 754,
Notes
References
External links