Dysgonia torrida (Guenée, 1852)

Host plants:
The larva feeds on Ricinus communis. A larva from Crete did not accept other plants like Euphorbia, Rubus or Fabaceae. It is not sure that all larvae behave similar. According to literature, larvae have been also found on Punica grantum. Thus it is not completely dependent on Ricinus.

Habitat:
Dysgonia torrida inhabits all possible sites with the host plant, e.g., dry riverbeds, fallow land, rubbish places, cultivated areas, especially near the coasts.

Life cycle:
The moths occur in several generations between late winter and autumn. The pupa hibernates in a true diapause - surprisingly in tropical species - and tolerates slight frosts. A larva that has been found in Crete in mid-October gave an hibernating pupa which was held cold with short-term -3 degrees centigrade between mid-December and late February. The moth hatched after three weeks in the warmth.

Remarks:
The subtropical/tropical species occurs in parts of Africa and southern Asia. In Europe it is known only from the south, e.g., in Spain, Greece and Italy. Records further north are probably based on migrations (S-France, N-Italy), but the border of permanent populations towards the north is unknown so far. It may depend more on host plant availability as pupae are able to hibernate at least in southern Europe.