Spilosoma urticae

Spilosoma urticae, the water ermine, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in temperate belt of the Palearctic realm like similar Spilosoma lubricipedum, but prefers drier biotopes. So, S. urticae is more abundant in steppes and it is the single Spilosoma species in Central Asia.

Water ermine
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Genus: Spilosoma
Species:
S. urticae
Binomial name
Spilosoma urticae
(Esper, 1789)
Synonyms
  • Phalaena Bombyx urticae Esper, 1789
  • Phalaena Bombyx papyratia Marsham, 1791
  • Spilosoma sangaica Walker, [1865]
  • Spilosoma mandli Schawerda, 1922
  • Spilosoma urticae peralbata Dannehl, 1928

The wingspan is 38–46 mm. The length of the forewings is 18–22 mm. Hindwings always without black dots. Antennae branches are very short in males, they are equal and not more than twice longer than the antenna stem diameter (this is the best distinguishing character from Spilosoma lubricipeda). The moth flies April to October depending on the location.

Fig. 3 larvae after last moult

The larvae feed on Rumex hydrolapathum, Mentha aquatica, Iris pseudacorus, Lysimachia vulgaris, Jacobaea vulgaris and Pedicularis sylvatica.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spilosoma urticae.
Wikispecies has information related to Spilosoma urticae.
  • Water ermine on UKMoths
  • Fauna Europaea
  • Lepidoptera of Belgium
  • BOLD Systems
  • Encyclopedia of Life
  • Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Spilosoma urticae​". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Natural History Museum.
  • Biodiversity Heritage Library
  • "Spilosoma urticae (Esper, 1789)" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms (funet)
  • Vlindernet.nl (in Dutch)


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