Loxostege sticticalis (Crambidae) - Butterflies of Crete

Loxostege sticticalis, Crete - photo © K. Bormpoudaki

Loxostege sticticalis (Linnaeus, 1761)

MOTH INFO

Loxostege sticticalis is a moth of the family Crambidae on the island of Crete, Greece.

Scientific name

Loxostege sticticalis (Linnaeus, 1761)

Pyralis sticticalis (Linnaeus, 1761)

Pyralis lupulina (Clerck, 1759)

Pyralis fuscalis (Hübner, 1796)

Pyralis tetragonalis (Haworth, 1811)

Botys lupulinalis (Guenée, 1854)

Common name

Beet Webworm

Classification

Superfamily: Pyraloidea > Family: Crambidae > Subfamily: Pyraustinae > Tribus: Pyraustini > Genus: Loxostege

Wingspan

22-29 mm

Appearance

When the adult is resting its shape is triangular. The ground color of the forewings is yellowish-brown with a patchwork pattern of light and dark blotches. The fringe scales are black, contrasting with the thin yellowish band along the outer margin.

Habitat

It can be observed in every type of habitat on the island, i.e cultivated fields, roadsides, olive groves, phrygana, scrubland, coastal areas, etc.

Food plant

The larvae feed on various herbaceous plants, i.e. Asteraceae (Artemisia, Helianthus annuus), Amaranthaceae (Chenopodium album, Beta bulgaris, Atriplex, Spinacia oleracea), Fabaceae (Medicago, Pisum sativum, Trifolium), Solanaceae, Brassicaceae (Brassica oleracea, Raphanus sativus, Daucus carota), Poaceae (Zea mays, Sorghum), etc.

Flight Period

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Links

Lepiforum e. V.

Lepidoptera Mundi

Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa

Phrygana.eu

Plant Parasites of Europe

Notes

In 2022, impressively high populations of the species were observed at all altitudes and in a variety of habitats across the island. On the contrary, in 2023, the species has few observations.