Watsonarctia deserta Bartel, 1902

Host plants:
The larvae mostly feed on Rubiaceae (Galium, Asperiula).

Habitat:
Watsonarctia deserta inhabits dry and warm places such as steppe-like slopes, open scrub, dry grasslands and rocky slopes.

Life cycle:
The pupa hibernates and the moths occur between late April and June. The larvae develop between June and mid-August.

Endangerment factors:
Watsonarctia deserta is threatened with extinction especially in the northern margins of its occurrance (viticulture, agriculture, overbuilding, bush encroachment, eutrophication).

Remarks:
Watsonarctia deserta occurs only very locally from the Iberian Peninsula across southern and parts of central Europe eastward to central Asia.