Eublemma amoena (Hübner, [1803])

Host plants:
The larvae feed on Onopordum species. I recorded them on O. illyricum in northern Greece near Kozani.

Habitat:
Eublemma amoena inhabits dry and warm pastures, garrigues, rocky slopes and similar, often at least slightly disturbed areas. I recorded the larvae in highest abundance on a gravel road that had been constructed a few years ago and that had been scarcely used. There Onopordum showed large densities.

Life cycle:
I recorded the larvae mostly already in the final instar in the younger inner leaves of the leaf rosettes which had been spun to a tube which withered. Some larvae had been still half-grown or even smaller. All larvae from Onopordum gave amoena while larvae from Cirsium in between gave Eublemma purpurina.

Remarks:
Eublemma amoena occurs in S-Europe and W-Asia, to the north to southern Russia.