Toadflax Brocade Moth - Calophasia lunula

Phylum: Arthropoda - Class: Insecta - Order: Lepidoptera - Family: Noctuidae

This distinctive night-flying moth is a widespread but uncommon find in central and southern England.

Description

The Toadflax Brocade moth has pale-brown to bluish-grey forewings, white crescent markings, and black streaks. The thorax has a noticeable double crest, while the hindwings are mostly brownish-white. The wingspan of these moths ranges between 26 and 32mm.

Distribution

In Britain this primarily nocturnal moth is found in the Midlands south-east and southern England, but its British range appears to be expanding.Calophasia lunula is found throughout mainland Europe. Its natural range extends into Central Asia and most of Russia. In parts of Canada and the USA the Toadflax Brocade is an introduced alien species.

Lifecycle

The Toadflax Brocade usually has two broods per year in the UK; elsewhere it has between one and three broods per year. Eggs - typically between 30 and 100 per female adult moth - are laid either singly or in small clusters on Toadflax leaves.

The larval foodplants of this moth are the leaves of various kinds of Toadflax (LInaria species) such as Common Toadflax and Pale Toadflax.The colourful and easy-to-spot larvae feed voraciously on the leaves, stems and flower buds as they go through five instars before reaching maturity; then they crawl to the base of their foodplant (always a Toadflax species) or into nearby soil and leaf litter, where they pupate.

Winged adults emerge is spring and in summer, in the UK with two overlapping flight periods. Feeding on nectar, these moths can live for up to a few weeks.

Acknowledgements

This page includes pictures kindly contributed by Betty and Tony Rackham.

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