Thalpophila matura (Hufnagel, 1766)


Thalpophila matura: Adult (e.l. eastern Swabian Alb, S-Germany, larva in October 2013) [S] Thalpophila matura: Adult (e.l. eastern Swabian Alb, S-Germany, larva in October 2013) [S] Thalpophila matura: Adult (e.l. eastern Swabian Alb, S-Germany, larva in October 2013) [S] Thalpophila matura: Adult (e.l. eastern Swabian Alb, S-Germany, larva in October 2013) Thalpophila matura: Adult (e.l. eastern Swabian Alb, S-Germany, larva in October 2013) [S] Thalpophila matura: Adult (e.l. eastern Swabian Alb, S-Germany, larva in October 2013) [S] Thalpophila matura: Adult (e.l. eastern Swabian Alb, S-Germany, larva in October 2013) [S] Thalpophila matura: Adult (e.l. eastern Swabian Alb, S-Germany, larva in October 2013) [S] Thalpophila matura: Adult (e.l. eastern Swabian Alb, S-Germany, larva in October 2013) [S] Thalpophila matura: Female (France, Salon-de-Provence, early October 2014) [M] Thalpophila matura: Egg (e.o. Provence, female in early October 2014) [S] Thalpophila matura: L1 larva (e.o. Provence 2014) [S] Thalpophila matura: L1 larva (e.o. Provence 2014) [S] Thalpophila matura: Young larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, in moult rest) [M] Thalpophila matura: Half-grown larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [S] Thalpophila matura: Half-grown larva [S] Thalpophila matura: Half-grown larva [S] Thalpophila matura: Half-grown larva [S] Thalpophila matura: Half-grown larva [S] Thalpophila matura: Half-grown larva [S] Thalpophila matura: Larva in penultimate instar [S] Thalpophila matura: Larva in penultimate instar [S] Thalpophila matura: Larva in penultimate instar [S] Thalpophila matura: Larva in penultimate instar [S] Thalpophila matura: Larva in last instar [S] Thalpophila matura: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, March 2010) [N] Thalpophila matura: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, 19.03.2010) [N] Thalpophila matura: Larva (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany, 19.03.2010) [N] Thalpophila matura: Larva in March 2009, searched at night with a lamp soon after the snow had melted (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [M] Thalpophila matura: Larva in March 2009, searched at night with a lamp soon after the snow had melted (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [M] Thalpophila matura: Larva in March 2009, searched at night with a lamp soon after the snow had melted (eastern Swabian Alb, Southern Germany) [M] Thalpophila matura: Head [S] Thalpophila matura: Pupa (e.l. eastern Swabian Alb, S-Germany, larva in October 2013) [S] Thalpophila matura: Habitat in S-Germany (eastern Swabian Alb near Dischingen, October 2011) [N] Thalpophila matura: Larval habitat in the northern part of the Upper Rhine Valley near Karlsruhe, early November 2011) [N]

Host plants:
The caterpillar feeds primarily on grasses. In winter, it is dependent on species that are also in this season at least partly green, such as Festuca or Bromus erectus.

Habitat:
Thalpophila matura inhabits mostly dry warm habitats such as sandy grasslands and forests on sand as well as nutrient-poor grasslands, slopes, edges and Salvia-Arrhenatheretum meadows. But it penetrates also in alternating wet, rather warm woodlands. Sometimes they can also develop in less intensively managed areas of settlements.

Life cycle:
The caterpillar hatches in September or October (according to flight time). In cloudy weather in October, I found young caterpillars mostly in a moulting rest on grass blades in the morning (eastern Swabian Alb, Germany). The caterpillar moults for the last time around Christmas (depending on the weather, eastern Swabian Alb) and is active at night during milder periods. She burrows in March or April, but rests for several weeks as prepupa. In Central Europe, pupation takes place in June or July and the moths fly from mid-July to early September. The warmer and drier the climate, the later is the flight time. In Baden-Württemberg, Thalpophila matura flies thus earlier in average on the Swabian Alb than in the Upper Rhine Valley. In Provence, I recorded fresh adults in large numbers at a hotel enlightment in late September and early October 2014.

Endangerment: regionally endangered or decreasing

Endangerment factors:
Thalpophila matura is not particularly threatened. But it has suffered heavy losses from the massive decline of extensive, warm-dry grasslands and the dark forest management. Whether it can spread in the wake of global warming remains to be seen.

Remarks:
Thalpophila matura occurs from north Africa across Southern and Central Europe to the Caucasus.



Olivenebula xanthochloris | Polyphaenis sericata | Thalpophila vitalba 
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