Zygaena lavandulae (Esper, 1783)


Zygaena lavandulae: Adult (Provence, Ste. Baume, June 2009) [N] Zygaena lavandulae: Adult [N] Zygaena lavandulae: Adult [M] Zygaena lavandulae: Adult (Spain, Cabo de Gata, late March 2019) [N] Zygaena lavandulae: Adult (Spain, Cabo de Gata, late March 2019) [N] Zygaena lavandulae: Adult (Spain, Cabo de Gata, late March 2019) [N] Zygaena lavandulae: Adult (Spain, Cabo de Gata, late March 2019) [N] Zygaena lavandulae: Adult (Spain, Cabo de Gata, late March 2019) [N] Zygaena lavandulae: Adult (Spain, Cabo de Gata, late March 2019) [N] Zygaena lavandulae: Adult (Spain, Cabo de Gata, late March 2019) Zygaena lavandulae: Copula (Spain, Cabo de Gata, late March 2019) [N] Zygaena lavandulae: Copula (Spain, Cabo de Gata, late March 2019) [N] Zygaena lavandulae: Copula (Spain, Cabo de Gata, late March 2019) [N] Zygaena lavandulae: Ovae [S] Zygaena lavandulae: Ovae [S] Zygaena lavandulae: Egg batch (S-France, Provence, late May 2006) [S] Zygaena lavandulae: Half-grown larva (e.o. Provence 2006) [S] Zygaena lavandulae: Larva [S] Zygaena lavandulae: Larva [S] Zygaena lavandulae: Fully-grown larva [S] Zygaena lavandulae: Fully-grown larva, lateral [S] Zygaena lavandulae: Larva, pinkish prolegs visible [S] Zygaena lavandulae: Larva (e.o. Provence 2006) [S] Zygaena lavandulae: Empty cocoon (Spain, Cabo de Gata, late March 2019) [M] Zygaena lavandulae: Habitat in the Provence, France, where Z. rhadamanthus is very common, too [N] Zygaena lavandulae: Habitat with Anthyllis cytisoides (Spain, Cabo de Gata, late March 2019) [N] Zygaena lavandulae: Habitat with Anthyllis cytisoides (Spain, Cabo de Gata, late March 2019) [N]

Host plants:
The larva primarily feeds on Dorycnium pentaphyllum, but also Anthyllis species building dwarf shrubs (e.g. Spain, Cabo de Gata: Anthyllis cytisoides).

Habitat:
Zygaena lavandulae inhabits light, dry woods, grove rich grasslands, roadsides through forests, rocky places, garrigues and similar places.

Life cycle:
The adults appear in a single generation from April (in Spain from March) to June, in the south of France mostly in May. The caterpillar seems to develop until April without real dormancy, similar to Zygaena rhadamanthus.

Endangerment factors:
Zygaena lavandulae is potentially endangered through intensive use of habitats (expansion of agriculture into formerly fallow land).

Remarks:
The moths show a strong, often darting flight that departs from the often simultaneously encountered Zygaena rhadamanthus significantly.

Zygaena lavandulae is distributed from Northwest Africa across eastern Spain and southern France to Liguria.



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