Valeria oleagina ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)


Valeria oleagina: Female (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Female (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Female (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Female (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Male (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Male (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Male (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Male (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Male (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Male (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Male (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Männchen (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Male (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Male (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Male (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Male (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Male (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Egg (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Egg (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Egg (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Egg (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Egg (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Young larva (Abruzzes, Rieti, mid-May 2013) [M] Valeria oleagina: Young larva (Abruzzes, Rieti, mid-May 2013) [M] Valeria oleagina: Half-grown larva (Abruzzes, Rieti, mid-May 2013) [M] Valeria oleagina: Half-grown larva (Abruzzes, Rieti, mid-May 2013) [M] Valeria oleagina: Half-grown larva (Abruzzes, Rieti, mid-May 2013) [M] Valeria oleagina: Half-grown larva (Abruzzes, Rieti, mid-May 2013) [N] Valeria oleagina: Half-grown larva (Abruzzes, Rieti, mid-May 2013) [M] Valeria oleagina: Half-grown larva (e.l. Abruzzes, Rieti, mid-May 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Half-grown larva (e.l. Abruzzes, Rieti, mid-May 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (e.l. Rieti 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (e.l. Rieti 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (e.l. Rieti 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (e.l. Rieti 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (e.l. Rieti 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (e.l. Rieti 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (e.l. Rieti 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (e.l. Rieti 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (e.l. Rieti 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (e.l. Rieti 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (e.l. Rieti 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (e.l. Rieti 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (e.l. Rieti 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (e.l. Rieti 2013) [S] Valeria oleagina: Half-grown larva (N-Greece, Askio mountains near Siatista, May 2014) [S] Valeria oleagina: Half-grown larva (Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, mid-May 2017) [M] Valeria oleagina: Half-grown larva (Greece, Samos Island, Moni Vronda, 700m, mid-May 2017) [M] Valeria oleagina: Larva (Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, May 2014) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, May 2014) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, May 2014) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, May 2014) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, May 2014) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, May 2014) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, May 2014) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, May 2014) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larva (Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, May 2014) [S] Valeria oleagina: Pupa (e.l. Rieti 2013, adult already partially developed) [S] Valeria oleagina: Cocoon (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Cocoon, the outer, looser layer partially removed (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Pupa, the moths hibernates within the pupal skin, January 2018 (e.l. rearing, Greece, Samos Island, above Moni Vronda, larva in mid-May 2017) [S] Valeria oleagina: Larval habitat with blackthorn at the foot of a dry slope (Italy, Abruzzes, Rieti, may 2013) [N] Valeria oleagina: Larval habitat with blackthorn at the foot of a dry slope (Italy, Abruzzes, Rieti, may 2013) [N] Valeria oleagina: Habitat with single Prunus bushes in an open woodland (Samos, above Manolates, May 2017) [N] Valeria oleagina: Larval habitat with single Prunus bushes in a boulder field within mountainous woodland in 850m in the Ampelos mountains in Samos Island (May 2017) [N]

Host plants:
The larvae feed on bushes of the rose family (Rosaceae), especially Prunus spinosa.

Habitat:
Valeria oleagina inhabits warm and most often also dry shrub communities, e.g. on grazed hillsides.

Life cycle:
The moths hibernate fully developed within the pupal skin and thus fly quite early mostly between March and April. The larvae feed between late April and June. I observed the younger caterpillars in May 2013 (Abruzzes) quite openly on low-growing blackthorn in the heat at the foot of a dry slope. The older larvae tend to hide near the ground ore in the inner of the bushes.
The cocoon has two layers: a loose outer one whith plenty of substrate and a very dense inner webbing.

Endangerment factors:
Valeria oleagina is heavily endangered especially north of the Alps because large-scale dry habitats with sufficient Prunus scrub have become quite rare (agriculture, overbuilding). In the remnants Valeria oleagina can even be endangered through nature conservation measures like too intense removal of bushes.

Remarks:
Valeria oleagina occurs from Northern Spain across southern and parts of Central Europe (reches Central Germany in the north) eastwards to Iran.


German version / deutsche Version