Eublemma purpurina (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

Host plants:
The caterpillars live on Carduus and Cirsium species (thistle) and also according to literature on Echinops (globe thistle, both Asteraceae).

Habitat:
Eublemma purpurina inhabits dry grassland, steppe areas, ruderal terrain, roadsides, river banks with open floor and similar locations of thistles.

Life cycle:
The caterpillar overwinters. I found almost fully-grown larvae in April 2010 in the Haute-Provence near the Verdon. The animals live in the center of sprouting, this year flowering Cirsium rosettes in small webbed shelters. They are conspicuous by their droppings. In the same places I observed still very small caterpillars of Adscita subsolana. The moths fly from May to August.

Remarks:
Eublemma purpurina occurs in Europe especially from Western Europe (Spain and the south of England) across Southern France and the southern and Central Italy to the Balkan peninsula (north to eastern Austria and south Poland). There are also some small populated islands spread further north (e.g. southern Finland). In Germany there are more and more records in the last years with probably already some resident populations. Eublemma purpurina is found in temperate Asia from Turkey to Central Asia and Trans-Baikal.