Nine-spotted Moth

Amata phegea

The Nine-spotted Moth is a colorful insect with beautiful black and yellow patterns. It flutters around gardens and fields, bringing joy to those who spot it!

Lebensraum: Grasslands

Aussehen

The Nine-spotted Moth has a striking black body with a yellow or orange band around its abdomen. Its translucent black wings feature nine distinct, round, white or pale yellow spots, making it easy to identify. This coloring helps it visually mimic dangerous wasps, deterring predators.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungLepidopteraFamilieErebidaeGattungAmata

Nine-spotted Moth

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Despite being a moth, it loves flying around in the warm sunshine, like a butterfly!

Its bright colors warn predators it tastes awful, a trick called aposematism!

Some people mistake this moth for a tiny bumblebee or a wasp because of its amazing disguise!

The caterpillars eat plants that store poisons, making them and the adult moth toxic to eat!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Nine-spotted Moth can mimic the look of dangerous wasps because of its black and yellow colors and flight pattern, which helps them avoid predators.

Nine-spotted Moth has special toxins in its body that help make it taste bad to birds and other predators.

Nine-spotted Moth can fly actively during the daytime, which helps them find food and mates when many other moths are resting.

Maße und Details

Flügelspannweite: 35-40 mm
Größe: 15-20 mm
Lebenserwartung: 10-20 Tage
Fluggeschwindigkeit: 8 km/h
Anzahl der Beine: 6

Ernährung und Fütterung

Adults sip nectar from flowers, while caterpillars munch on leaves of common plants.

Altersunterschiede: Caterpillars feed on plant leaves; adults consume nectar from flowers.

Hauptnahrung

Nectar
Ribwort Plantain
Common Dandelion
Various wild flowers

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eats

Ribwort Plantain

Plantago lanceolata

Its caterpillars munch on the leaves.

eats

Common Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale

Caterpillars also feed on these common plants.

pollinates

Greater Knapweed

Centaurea scabiosa

Adult moths help flowers by carrying pollen.

eaten by

Great Tit

Parus major

Some birds brave its toxins for a meal.

Merkmale

Gefleckt

Mit Flecken oder farblich abgesetzten Bereichen gezeichnet.

Bestäubermagnet

Beschreibt Pflanzen, die für eine Vielzahl von bestäubenden Organismen besonders attraktiv und nützlich sind.

Farbenfroh

Farbenfroh beschreibt Organismen oder Objekte, die eine große Vielfalt an leuchtenden und deutlich erkennbaren Farben aufweisen.

Grasland

Grasland-Lebensräume sind terrestrische Biome, die von Gräsern und krautigen Pflanzen dominiert werden und einer Vielzahl von Weidetieren als Lebensraum dienen.