Acronicta orientalis Mann, 1862


Acronicta orientalis: Adult (e.l. Askion, Northern Greece) [S] Acronicta orientalis: Adult (e.l. Askion, Northern Greece) [S] Acronicta orientalis: Adult (e.l. Askion, Northern Greece) [S] Acronicta orientalis: Larva in penultimate instar (Askio mountains near Siatista, N-Greece, late June 2013) [N] Acronicta orientalis: Larva in penultimate instar (Askio mountains near Siatista, N-Greece, late June 2013) [N] Acronicta orientalis: Parasitized larva in penultimate instar (Askio mountains near Siatista, N-Greece, late June 2013) [N] Acronicta orientalis: Parasitized larva in penultimate instar (Askio mountains near Siatista, N-Greece, late June 2013) [N] Acronicta orientalis: Larva (Askio mountains near Siatista, N-Greece, late June 2013) [N] Acronicta orientalis: Larva (Askio mountains near Siatista, N-Greece, late June 2013) [N] Acronicta orientalis: Larva (Askio mountains near Siatista, N-Greece, late June 2013) [N] Acronicta orientalis: Larva (Askio mountains near Siatista, N-Greece, late June 2013) [N] Acronicta orientalis: Larva (Northern Greece, Askio mountains near Siatista, July 2010) [N] Acronicta orientalis: Larva (Northern Greece, Askio mountains, July 2010) [N] Acronicta orientalis: Larva (Askio mountains near Siatista, N-Greece, late June 2013) [N] Acronicta orientalis: Pupa [S] Acronicta orientalis: Larval habitat in the north Greek Askio mountains, July 2010. [N]

Host plants:
The caterpillar lives according to literature on deciduous woods such as Pyrus and Prunus. I found the caterpillar in Northern Greece in July 2010 on Paliurus spina-christi.

Habitat:
In Northern Greece Acronicta orientalis inhabits dry warm steppe slopes with loose scrub with Paliurus spina-christi and others. Acronicta orientalis shares its habitat there with Orthosia rorida and Tarucus balkanicus.

Life cycle:
The pupa hibernates. The moths fly from late April to early July in a single generation. The caterpillars live from June to August. I observed them open in the sunshine in the second half of July 2010 north of Kozani in the Askio mountainse on a bare shoot of Paliurus spina-christi about 30cm above the ground.

Remarks:
Acronicta orientalis occurs in Europe only in the Balkan Peninsula from ex-Yugoslavia and Romania to Greece in the south. Additionally, it occurs in parts of Western Asia (e.g. Asia Minor).



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