Chersotis cuprea (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

Host plants:
The caterpillar lives obviously especially on Asteraceae such as Centaurea or Taraxacum, but is rarely found.

Habitat:
Chersotis cuprea inhabits nutrient-poor grasslands and especially partly dry and partly humid pastures in the Alps.

Life cycle:
Apparently the caterpillar overwinters in the egg. The larva develops on the ground and seems to dig. The moths fly from July to early September. They like to visit flowers of Asteraceae such as Centaurea and thistles.

Endangerment: regionally endangered or decreasing

Endangerment factors:
Outside of the Alps Chersotis cuprea is in sharp decline due to the destruction of corresponding parts of landscape by humans.

Remarks:
Chersotis cuprea occurs in the European mountains and Fennoscandia. To the east, it occurs to eastern Siberia.