Cilix asiatica Bang-Haas, 1907


Cilix asiatica: Adult (e.l. Northern Greece, Askio mountains 2012) [S] Cilix asiatica: Adult (e.l. Northern Greece, Askio mountains 2012) [S] Cilix asiatica: Adult (e.l. Northern Greece, Askio mountains 2012) [S] Cilix asiatica: Adult (e.l. Northern Greece, Olympus 2012) [S] Cilix asiatica: Young larva (Olympus, early August 2012) [N] Cilix asiatica: Young larva (Olympus, early August 2012) [N] Cilix asiatica: Larva after the last moult (Northern Greece, Olympus, August 2012) [N] Cilix asiatica: Larva (Northern Greece, Askio mountains, August 2012) [N] Cilix asiatica: Larva (Olympus 2012) [S] Cilix asiatica: Larva (Northern Greece, Askio mountains, August 2012) [N] Cilix asiatica: Larva (Northern Greece, Askio mountains, August 2012) [S] Cilix asiatica: Larva (Olympus 2012) [S] Cilix asiatica: Larval habitat in Northern Greece, Askio mountains, early August 2012: xerothermic, loose scrub with Prunus mahaleb, Prunus spinosa, Pyrus and Crataegus. [N]

Host plants:
The caterpillar lives on woody Rosaceae such as Prunus species, Crataegus and Malus. I found the caterpillar in Northern Greece on Prunus spinosa (Olympus), Malus sylvestris (Olympus) and Prunus mahaleb (Askio Mountains near Siatista). Pyrus is probably also used.

Habitat:
Cilix asiatica inhabits hot dry shrubbery rich slopes and hedge areas.

Life cycle:
The moths fly in probably mostly three generations from April to early October. The caterpillar is found between May and late October. I found them in late July and early August 2012.

Remarks:
Cilix asiatica is known in Europe only from the southern Ukraine and the southern Balkans (Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria, local and rarely Romania and probably Albania). Outside Europe, Cilix asiatica occurs from Asia Minor to Pakistan.

Hints on determination:
Cilix asiatica can be distinguished easily from Cilix glaucata by the genitalia. Additionally, the moths bear obviously always only four gray spots near the outer margin of the forewings, whereas Cilix glaucata mostly has six spots.



Cilix glaucata 
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