Setina roscida (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

Host plants:
The caterpillar lives from lichens, mosses, algae and dead vegetation.

Habitat:
Setina roscida inhabits only very nutrient-poor, rupicolous grassland areas with plenty of lichens that make often from far a very sparse impression. In the lowlands this is (or better was) mostly the colorful earth lichen community. In addition to these lowland grasslands occur alpine populations for example in the Engadine or in Austria, which rise to about 2600m above sea level.

Life cycle:
The moths fly in the lowlands in a single generation or two (April to early June and late July to September). In the high mountains, Setina roscida is found mostly in July (to early or mid-August) and the caterpillar development takes two to three years. The males swarm during the day slowly and close to the ground over the larval habitat and often rest briefly at straws. When the sun disappears behind the clouds, the activity ends abruptly in high altitude populations. Females are much less conspicuous. I found them on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road in late July 2009 mostly through the grape of males that surrounded them. The eggs are laid on stalks or plant parts. The caterpillar is usually concealed in the ground vegetation and often hard to find. The pupation occurs mostly in tussocks.

Endangerment: threatened with extinction

Endangerment factors:
In the lowlands, most populations are extinct due to habitat change and destruction (Kaiserstuhl, Swiss Jura etc). In the high mountains tourist exploration decimate the sites. Setina roscida has thus become one of the most threatened species in Europe. Only a few alpine locations are reasonably protected (about the Engadine). The situation might be a bit better in the Balkans.

Remarks:
The distribution extends from western Central Europe (also in the south of Sweden) across parts of southern Russia to Altai. In Central Europe Setina roscida occurs nowadays almost exclusively local in the Alps (missing in the German Alps). There are also some remnant populations in Alsace (Bollenberg) or the Rhine-Main-Nahe region. In Northern Greece I found the moth in July 2011 at 2100 m above sea level on Mount Phalakron.

Hints on determination:
Setina roscida is much smaller than Setina irrirella with which it often cohabits. But Setina irrorella usually flies a bit later at least in peak. The males of Setina irrorella are also attracted by females of Setina roscida as I could observe at the Großglockner Road.