Rusty Tussock Moth
Lat. “Orgyia antiqua“ species
of order
“Butterflies and Moths“ 1 species
Orgyia antiqua, the rusty tussock moth or vapourer, is a moth in the family Erebidae.
Distribution and status
O. antiqua is native to Europe, but now has a transcontinental distribution in the Palaearctic and the Nearctic regions.
The species is not on the IUCN (2007) Red List; and in the UK is considered a common resident.
Habitat
In the UK, O. antiqua may be encountered in a variety of shrub-based habitats, including gardens, parks, open woodland, fens, hedgerows, heaths. and moors.
Description
A striking dimorphism exists between the male and the female moths of this species. The male moth typically has orange- to red-brown (ochreous red and dark brown) wings; each fore wing has a white comma-shaped (tornal) spot. It has marked plumose (short, bipectinate) antennae. The wingspan measures between 35 and 38 mm. The female moth has vestigial wings and is flightless; it is light grey-brown (ochreous grey), has “shortly bipectinate” antennae, and a swollen abdomen. The compound eyes of the two sexes differ not only with regard to their size, number of facets and internal organization and ultrastructure, but also with regard to their sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation
The hairy caterpillar is spectacular, with “humps”, “horns”, and a “tail” in a combination of dark grey, red, and yellow.
Host plants
Caterpillars are polyphagous and feed on a wide range of deciduous trees and shrubs, such as birch (Betula), Crataegus, lime (Tilia), Prunus, Quercus, Rubus, Salix, Tamarix, Vaccinium, Aeonium haworthii or Delonix regia.
In Scotland, the species is almost always found on birch, but has also been recorded damaging Sitka spruce.
External links
The Vapourer on UKMoths
Fauna Europaea
Lepiforum.de
JustGreen Bug of the Month (PDF) Archived 15 January 2006 at the Wayback Machine
Good plant protection practice (PDF)
