Buff-tip

The buff-tip (Phalera bucephala) is a moth of the family Notodontidae. It is found throughout Europe and in Asia to eastern Siberia.[1] The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

Buff-tip
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Notodontidae
Genus: Phalera
Species:
P. bucephala
Binomial name
Phalera bucephala
Illustration from John Curtis's British Entomology Volume 5

Description

This is a fairly large, heavy-bodied species with a wingspan of 55–68 mm. The forewings are grey with a large prominent buff patch at the apex. As the thoracic hair is also buff, the moth resembles a broken twig when at rest. The hindwings are creamy white. This moth flies at night in June and July and sometimes comes to light, although it is not generally strongly attracted.

The young larvae are gregarious, becoming solitary later. The older larva is very striking, black with white and yellow lines. It feeds on many trees and shrubs (see list below). The species overwinters as a pupa.

  1. ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.

Natural History

Historically, the buff-tip moth has been referred to as a pest due to their tendency to feast upon apple trees in Lithuania during the 1900s. Outbreaks of this species may increase in areas with high levels of environmental nitrogen compounds. [2][3]

Recorded food plants

For details see Robinson et al., 2010.[4]

  1. Heath, John; Maitland Emmet, A, eds. (1983). The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Volume 9. Sphringidae - Noctuidae. Colchester: Harley Books. p. 41.
  2. Port, GR; Thompson, JR (1980). "Outbreaks of insect herbivores on plants along motorways in the United Kingdom". Journal of Applied Ecology. 17 (3): 649–656. doi:10.2307/2402643. JSTOR 2402643.
  3. Morimoto, J; Pietras, Z (2020). "Strong foraging preferences for Ribes alpinum (Saxifragales: Grossulariaceae) in the polyphagous caterpillars of Buff-tip moth Phalera bucephala (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae)". Ecology and Evolution. 10 (24): 13583–13592. doi:10.1002/ece3.6981. PMC 7771136. PMID 33391664.
  4. Robinson, Gaden S.; Ackery, Phillip R.; Kitching, Ian J.; Beccaloni, George W.; Hernández, Luis M. (2010). "Search the database - introduction and help". HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London.

Subspecies
  • P. b. bucephala
  • P. b. tenebrata
  • Eggs
    Eggs
  • Caterpillar
    Caterpillar
  • Adult in profile
    Adult in profile
  • Adult back
    Adult back
  • Adult front
    Adult front
  • Male
    Male
  • Habitat
    Habitat

References
  1. Morimoto, J., & Pietras, Z. (2020). Strong foraging preferences for Ribes alpinum (Saxifragales: Grossulariaceae) in the polyphagous caterpillars of Buff-tip moth Phalera bucephala (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae). Wiley Online Library. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/ece3.6981

Further reading
  • South R. (1907) The Moths of the British Isles, (First Series), Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., London & NY: 359 pp. online
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