Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Family
NOTODONTIDAE
veins yellowish, edged with black.
Egg:
1.8 mm across;
hemispherical and purplish red.
Larva:
up to 70 mm
long; bright green, with a broad, purplish, white-edged
(sometimes yellowish-edged) dorsal stripe, widest and
often reaching to the prolegs on the fourth abdominal
segment; third thoracic segment humped; anal prolegs
modified into a pair of fang-like appendages, each
enclosing a red, extendible filament; head brownish,
marked with purplish or black; young larva reddish
brown, with a pair of broad, spinose projections on the
first thoracic segment.
Pupa:
25-30 mm long; black
and stumpy.
Medium-sized to large, plump-bodied, often downy
moths. The larvae are variable in appearance, often with
the anal prolegs modified into a pair of raised filaments;
crotchets on the abdominal prolegs are of two sizes
(biordinal).
Cerura vinula
(Linnaeus) (
809-812
)
Puss moth
Generally common on poplar (
Populus
) and willows
such as grey willow (
Salix cinerea
) and pussy willow
(
S. caprea
), and often associated with trees in gardens,
parks and nurseries; in mainland Europe also found
occasionally on birch (
Betula
). Eurasiatic. Widely
distributed in Europe.
LIFE HISTORY
Adults occur from May to July. Eggs are laid singly, but
more frequently in twos or trees, on the upper surface of
leaves, and hatch in about ten days. Larvae occur from
June or July onwards, and often feed in pairs. There are
five larval instars, the distinctive thoracic projections of
the first-instar larva persisting to the third instar but then
diminishing (fourth instar) and finally disappearing.
The older larvae rest fully exposed on the shoots but, in
DESCRIPTION
Adult:
65-80 mm wingspan; body fluffy and greyish
white to yellowish grey, the thorax marked with black
spots and the abdomen marked with black crossbars;
wings greyish white, marked with greyish black, and the
809
810
809
Puss moth (
Cerura vinula
).
810
Larva of puss moth (
Cerura vinula
).
811
812
811
First-instar larva of puss moth (
Cerura vinula
).
812
Third-instar larva of puss moth (
Cerura vinula
).
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