Buff-tip explained

The buff-tip (Phalera bucephala) is a moth of the family Notodontidae. It is found throughout Europe and in Asia to eastern Siberia.^[1] The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

Description

This is a fairly large, heavy-bodied species with a wingspan of 55–68 mm. The forewings are grey with a large prominent buff patch at the apex. As the thoracic hair is also buff, the moth resembles a broken twig when at rest. The hindwings are creamy white. This moth flies at night in June and July and sometimes comes to light, although it is not generally strongly attracted.

The young larvae are gregarious, becoming solitary later. The older larva is very striking, black with white and yellow lines. It feeds on many trees and shrubs (see list below). The species overwinters as a pupa.

1. The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.

Natural History

Historically, the buff-tip moth has been referred to as a pest due to their tendency to feast upon apple trees in Lithuania during the 1900s. Outbreaks of this species may increase in areas with high levels of environmental nitrogen compounds. ^{[2] [3]}

Recorded food plants

For details see Robinson et al., 2010.^[4]

• Acer – Norway maple
• Betula – birch

1. Book: Heath . John . Maitland Emmet . A . John Heath (entomologist) . A. Maitland Emmet . The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Volume 9. Sphringidae - Noctuidae . 1983 . Harley Books . Colchester . 41.
2. Port . GR . Thompson . JR . 1980 . Outbreaks of insect herbivores on plants along motorways in the United Kingdom . Journal of Applied Ecology . 17 . 3 . 649–656 . 10.2307/2402643 . 2402643 .
3. Morimoto . J . Pietras . Z . 2020 . Strong foraging preferences for Ribes alpinum (Saxifragales: Grossulariaceae) in the polyphagous caterpillars of Buff-tip moth Phalera bucephala (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) . Ecology and Evolution . 10 . 24 . 13583–13592 . 10.1002/ece3.6981. 33391664 . 7771136 . free .
4. Web site: Robinson . Gaden S. . Ackery . Phillip R. . Kitching . Ian J. . Beccaloni . George W. . Hernández . Luis M. . 2010 . Search the database - introduction and help . HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants . Natural History Museum, London.

• Castanea - chestnut
• Corylus – hazel
• Ribes - currant^[5]
• Laburnum
• Populus – poplar
• Prunus
• Quercus – oak
• Robinia
• Rosa – rose
• Salix – willow
• Tilia – lime
• Ulmus – elm
• Viburnum

Subspecies

• P. b. bucephala
• P. b. tenebrata

References

• Book: Chinery, Michael . Michael Chinery

. Michael Chinery . 1991 . Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe.

• Book: Skinner, Bernard . Bernard Skinner (entomologist)

. Bernard Skinner (entomologist) . 1984 . The Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles.

Further reading

• South R. (1907) The Moths of the British Isles, (First Series), Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., London & NY: 359 pp. online

External links

• Web site: Kimber . Ian . 71.025 BF1994 Buff-tip Phalera bucephala (Linnaeus, 1758) . UKMoths . 30 July 2019.
• Fauna Europaea
• Lepiforum e.V.