Graellsia isabellae

This moth is native to Peninsular Spain. They live high up in the Pyrenees and other mountain ranges where climates are cold. There is a small representation in somes places located in France and Switzerland where they are not native but instead further generations of captive moths through repopulation attributed to human action with specimens from Spain.

They are relics originating from the Ice age or beyond as It is thought that their habitat is a refuge location. This means that for the past few millions of years, while the climate of Europe has drastically changed, the conditions in the small areas in Pyrenees have remained stable, and never changed, allowing the small remnant populations of this moth to survive for thousands of years in these small habitats. They are split off from the lineage of 'Moon Moths', genus Actias.

At the end of April and beginning of May the moth begins to hatch after overwintering in the cocoon. Normally moths from the same parental line won't copulate, so it is necessary to take account of this when the moth is bred in captivity. After copulation the female lays about 100 to 150 eggs on the favoured food plant, pines. The larva hatch after 1 to 1+1⁄2 weeks and begin to eat the very hard pine needles. It takes about one and a half months for the caterpillars to reach the last instar. In the last instar the caterpillars go down from the tree to pupate under leaves on the ground. In this stage the pupae in the cocoon overwinter until the next spring.

The caterpillar primarily eats the needles of pine trees, more specifically Pinus nigra and Pinus sylvestris (genus Pinus). It appears to have difficulty adopting to non-native pine species as a host even within the genus Pinus .

Graellsia isabellae × Actias selene is a hybrid of the Spanish moon moth and the Indian moon moth (Actias selene).[1][2]

• World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. Graellsia isabelae. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 31 July 2007.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Graellsia isabellae.

Wikispecies has information related to Graellsia isabellae.

• "Actias isabellae (Graells, 1849)". Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa.
• Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Graellsia isabellae​". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Natural History Museum. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
• "06791 Actias isabellae (Graells, 1849) - Isabellaspinner". Lepiforum e.V.