Host plants:
The caterpillar lives on winches (particularly Convolvulus arvensis).
Habitat:
Emmelia trabealis inhabits dry warm, often ruderal influenced habitats such as edges in semi-arid grasslands, slopes, field borders, embankments and sand plains.
Life cycle:
Emmelia trabealis flies from late April through September, mostly in two generations, the last of which, although abundant, is often only partially. I found the caterpillar in Northern Greece (Askio mountains) in mid/late July 2010. The pupa overwinters.
Endangerment: endangered
Endangerment factors:
The specioes is endangered in the north due to the massive reduction of unused or little used areas (such as in the Upper Rhine Valley). In southern Europe such tendencies are still less pronounced.
Remarks:
Emmelia trabealis occurs in north Africa, south and Central Europe, as well as in temperate Asia to Korea. In Central Europe (north to Southern Scandinavia) Emmelia trabealis is found only locally and is missing in many regions, e.g. the northern Alps.