Conistra veronicae (Hübner, 1813)

Host plants:
The young caterpillar lives primarily on flowering oak (Quercus pubescens and other Quercus species). Secondary it lives later also on other plants such as in the herb layer or shrubs.

Habitat:
Conistra veronicae inhabits clear, warm-dry oak locations as steppe slopes and dry scrub. In Venosta (South Tyrol) and in Provence, I tapped the young caterpillars sporadically from flowering oak branches in April 2011.

Life cycle:
The moths fly overwintering from late September to March/April. The caterpillars live from early April (2011, Vinschgau) until June. In April/early May they are relatively easy tapped and are notable for their dark, black-brown color.

Endangerment: strongly endangered

Endangerment factors:
As Conistra veronicae places high demands on its habitat, it is threatened with extinction north of the Alps. In the Mediterranean region, the situation is slightly better.

Remarks:
Conistra veronicae is distributed from Northwest Africa across south and a few parts of Central Europe to Western Asia. In the north there are isolated occurrences in the Valais, in the valleys of the Southern Alps and the German Nahe and Middle Rhine region. Conistra veronicae seems to be already extinct in the Upper Rhine (Baden-Württemberg).