Abrostola asclepiadis
Encyclopedia
Abrostola asclepiadis is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is found in South and Central Europe
as far north as Finland
and Sweden
, Asia Minor
and the Caucasus
.
The wingspan
is 30-40 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August depending on the location.
The larvae feed on Vincetoxicum hirundinaria
, which contains toxic alkaloids and is unpalatable to most generalist herbivores.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
family. It is found in South and Central Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as far north as Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
and the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 30-40 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August depending on the location.
The larvae feed on Vincetoxicum hirundinaria
Vincetoxicum hirundinaria
Vincetoxicum hirundinaria is a long-lived herbaceous perennial of the genus Vincetoxicum in the family Apocynaceae. It is native to cliffs and slopes, especially in calcareous soils, of continental Eurasia . There are introduced populations in North America .-References:...
, which contains toxic alkaloids and is unpalatable to most generalist herbivores.