Gold Swift
Encyclopedia
The Gold Swift is a species of moth
belonging to the family Hepialidae
. Until recently it was placed in the genus Hepialus. It is a widespread species of Europe
, its distribution following that of its foodplant, bracken
.
This is a rather small moth for the family, with a wingspan of 26-32 mm. The male is distinctive, the brown forewings marked with two parallel bands of gold markings. The larger female is less striking with muted grey and brown markings. The adult is on the wing in June and July and both sexes are moderately attracted to light. To attract females, the male emits a scent rather similar to pineapple
.
The larva
feeds internally on the stems and roots of bracken, taking two years to reach full size, when it emerges to pupa
te in the ground.
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...
belonging to the family Hepialidae
Hepialidae
The Hepialidae is a family of insects in the lepidopteran order. Moths of this family are often referred to as swift moths or ghost moths.-Taxonomy and systematics:...
. Until recently it was placed in the genus Hepialus. It is a widespread species of 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...
, its distribution following that of its foodplant, bracken
Bracken
Bracken are several species of large, coarse ferns of the genus Pteridium. Ferns are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells . Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly...
.
This is a rather small moth for the family, with a wingspan of 26-32 mm. The male is distinctive, the brown forewings marked with two parallel bands of gold markings. The larger female is less striking with muted grey and brown markings. The adult is on the wing in June and July and both sexes are moderately attracted to light. To attract females, the male emits a scent rather similar to pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
.
The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
feeds internally on the stems and roots of bracken, taking two years to reach full size, when it emerges to pupa
Pupa
A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago...
te in the ground.
- The flight season refers to the British IslesBritish IslesThe British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. This may vary in other parts of the range.