Ghost Moth
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| Hepialus humuli (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Ghost Moth (Hepialus humuli), also known as the Ghost Swift, is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It is common throughout Europe except for the far south-east. This species is now considered the only species in the genus Hepialus which previously included several other species now reclassified into other genera.
The male has a wingspan of about 44 mm and both forewings and hindwings are pure white (although in H. h. thulensis, found in Shetland and the Faroe Islands, there are buff-coloured individuals). The female is larger (wingspan about 48 mm) and has yellowish-buff forewings with darker linear markings and brown hindwings. The adults fly in June and July and are attracted to light. The species overwinters as a larva.
The Ghost Moth gets its name from the display flight of the male, which hovers, sometimes slowly rising and falling, over open ground to attract females. In a suitable location several males may display together in a lek.
The larva is whitish and maggot-like and feeds underground on the roots of a variety of wild and cultivated plants (see list below). The species can be an economically significant pest in forest nurseries.
The term ghost moth is sometimes used as a general term for all Hepialids.
- ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.
[edit] Recorded food plants
- Arctium - Burdock
- Asparagus
- Beta - Beet
- Brassica
- Cannabis
- Chrysanthemum
- Dahlia
- Daucus - Carrot
- Fagus - Beech
- Fragaria - Strawberry
- Helianthus - Jerusalem artichoke
- Humulus - Hop
- Lactuca - Lettuce
- Pastinaca - Parsnip
- Phaseolus - Bean
- Pisum - Pea
- Poaceae - Grasses
- Quercus - Oak
- Rumex - Dock/Sorrel
- Solanum - Potato
- Urtica - Nettle
- Fungi
[edit] References
- Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
- Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984
