Sycamore Moth

Acronicta aceris

The Sycamore Moth is a fluffy, grayish-brown moth that loves to rest on tree trunks. Its caterpillars are bright green and can be found munching on sycamore leaves. They are fun to spot in nature!

Lebensraum: Forests

Aussehen

The Sycamore Moth has greyish-brown forewings streaked with black and a distinctive pale patch near its body. Its hindwings are plain white, and its body is covered in short grey fur. This coloration helps it blend with tree bark.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungLepidopteraFamilieNoctuidaeGattungAcronicta

Sycamore Moth

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Adult Sycamore Moths have no mouthparts, so they cannot eat anything at all!

It's named for the sycamore tree, whose leaves its hungry caterpillars munch on.

Its caterpillar is shockingly bright yellow, covered in fluffy white and orange hairs!

The caterpillar's long, stiff hairs can cause skin irritation if touched!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Sycamore Moth caterpillars are brightly colored because of their startling yellow and orange hues, which warns predators they might be distasteful.

Sycamore Moth adults have camouflaged wings that help them blend seamlessly with tree bark, making them hard for predators to spot.

Sycamore Moth caterpillars have stiff, spiky hairs that can irritate a predator's skin, helping them defend against attacks.

Maße und Details

Flügelspannweite: 35-45 mm
Größe: 15-20 mm
Lebenserwartung: 7-14 Tage
Fluggeschwindigkeit: 5-10 km/h
Anzahl der Beine: 6

Ernährung und Fütterung

Sycamore Moth larvae munch on tree leaves, but the adults don't eat anything at all!

Altersunterschiede: Larvae are herbivores, feeding on tree leaves. Adults do not feed during their short lifespan.

Hauptnahrung

Sycamore leaves
Horse Chestnut leaves
Maple leaves
Oak leaves
Willow leaves

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eats

Sycamore Maple

Acer pseudoplatanus

Larvae depend on its leaves for food.

eats

London Plane Tree

Platanus acerifolia

Its caterpillars munch on these common tree leaves.

eats

English Oak

Quercus robur

Caterpillars also feed on oak tree leaves.

eaten by

Great Tit

Parus major

Young birds hunt and feed on its caterpillars.

Merkmale

Pelzig

Pelzig beschreibt Tiere, die eine dichte Schicht aus weichen Haaren oder Fell besitzen.

Einzelgänger

Einzelgänger leben den größten Teil ihres Lebens allein und interagieren mit Artgenossen nur zur Paarung oder zur Aufzucht der Jungen.

Getarnt

Getarnt beschreibt Organismen, die über eine Färbung oder Musterung verfügen, durch die sie mit ihrer Umgebung verschmelzen.

Pflanzenfressend

Dieses Merkmal kennzeichnet Lebewesen, deren Ernährung vollständig oder hauptsächlich aus pflanzlichem Material besteht.

Wald

Waldlebensräume sind terrestrische Lebensräume, die von dichtem Baumbestand dominiert werden und eine große Vielfalt an Pflanzen- und Tierarten beherbergen.