Jersey Tiger - Euplagia quadripunctaria (Poda, 1761) -Πεταλούδα της Ρόδου - Cyprus

See also - List of Moths of Cyprus you will find in this blog (Lepidoptera)

Στην Κύπρο η νυχτοπεταλούδα Jersey tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaria) (Poda, 1761) της οικογενείας Erebidae (Η γνωστη  πεταλούδα της Ρόδου) προστατεύετε με νομοθεσία.  Την συναντούμε συνήθως σε σκιερές τοποθεσίες με την παρουσία νερού.  

The Jersey Tiger, Euplagia quadripunctaria, is a day-flying moth of the family Arctiidae. The adult wingspan is 52–65 millimetres (2.0–2.6 in), and they fly from July to September, depending on the location. They tend to fly close to Eupatorium cannabinum, where they are hard to notice because of their camouflage.

The larvae (caterpillars) are polyphagous, feeding from September to May on nettles (Urtica) and raspberries(Rubus), dandelion (Taraxacum), white deadnettle (Lamium), ground ivy (Glechoma), groundsel (Senecio), plantain (Plantago), borage (Borago), lettuce (Lactuca), and hemp-agrimony (Eupratoria). The insect overwinters as a small larva.

Large groups of adults of subspecies E. q. rhodosensis can be found on occasion aestivating (sheltering from the summer heat) in Petaloudes, on Rhodes, in a place that has become known as the 'Valley of the Butterflies'

Euplagia quadripunctaria is widely distributed in Europe from Estonia and Latvia in the north to the Mediterranean coast and islands in the south. It is also found in West Russia, South Urals, Asia Minor, Rhodes,Cyprus and nearby islands, the Near East, Caucasus, South Turkmenistan, and Iran (Dubatolov, 2010). Individuals are known to migrate northwards from their regular breeding grounds during the summer. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Pomos , 24/8/2013 by George Konstantinou

Πολέμι 27/7/2016

Photo Geri, Nicosia (in my garden) , 28/7/2024 by Fani Konstantinou. This is the first report for this area.