Olivenebula xanthochloris (Boisduval, 1840)

Host plants:
The larvae feed on grasses. I recorded them on various Poaceae (e.g. Dactylus) so far.

Habitat:
Olivenebula xanthochloris usually inhabits semi-shady sites along woodland margins, in open forests, bushy grasslands or in the maquis, up to at least 1500m.

Life cycle:
The adults occur between August and early October. the eggs are strewn in the habitat. The egg phase lasts long, 7-8 weeks in rearing, presumably dependent on first autumnal rainfalls. The larvae live on the sprouting grasses after the first rainfalls from autumn over the winter to April. I recorded them from mid-October (still small, Sierra de Gredos) over mid-November (half-grown, Santiago de Espada, Jaen) to late March (mature, Sierra de Gredos). Most often they reach the last instar L6 already in late autumn or in winter and already create their coccon in late winter or early spring. Only in higher altitudes the development should be interrupted by winterly temperatures and larvae are thus found until April. The young lavae can be beaten out of the grasses. The older ones are found in grass tussocks or can be shaken out of grasses and litter. They feed at night. The pupa is formed in a cocoon in the soil, after a quite long-lasting prepupal phase. This pupal stage lasts from about May to August.
Thalpophila vitalba was a constant companion species.

Remarks:
Olivenebula xanthochloris shows an Atlanto-Mediterranean distribution and occurs in NW-Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, S-France and Italy.