Rhodostrophia vibicaria (Clerck, 1759)


Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Adult (eastern Swabian Alb) [N] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Adult (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [S] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Adult [S] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Adult (Provence, France, Massif de la Ste. Baume, e.l. 2010) [S] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Adult (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [S] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Adult (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [N] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Adult (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [S] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Adult (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [N] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Half-grown larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [N] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Half-grown larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [N] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [S] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Larva (Steigerwald) [S] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Larva (Steigerwald) [S] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Larva (Steigerwald) [S] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Larva (Steigerwald) [S] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [S] Rhodostrophia vibicaria: Habitat in a rocky, nutrient-poor grassland on the eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany (June 2011) [N]

Host plants:
The caterpillar lives polyphagous on herbs, but prefers Fabaceae. I found caterpillars on Sanguisorba minor, Hippocrepis comosa and Onobrychis viciifolia.

Habitat:
Rhodostrophia vibicaria inhabits grasslands, sandy plains and rocky slopes. It is also found in nutrient-poor forest clearings. On the eastern Swabian Alb the moths are particularly found on such grasslands, which are characterized by a rich occurrence of Hippocrepis comosa.

Life cycle:
The caterpillar overwinters and lives in the spring until well into May. The moths fly from late May to early August. In low and warm regions occasionally a partial second generation is formed in August and September.

Endangerment: endangered

Endangerment factors:
Rhodostrophia vibicaria must nowadays be regarded as endangered, because grasslands are more and more becoming relics in an intensively farmed environment and because their quality has continued to decline (eutrophication, felting).

Remarks:
Rhodostrophia vibicaria is distributed from north Africa across Southern and Central Europe (also in Southern Scandinavia) to Central Asia.



Rhodostrophia calabra | Rhodostrophia discopunctata