Pyrausta purpuralis

• Subfamily: Pyraustinae
• Wingspan: 15-22 mm
• Flight period: May - Aug
• Spread:Common
• Host plants: Labiateae, Lamiaceae

Information

The Pyrausta purpuralis also called Common Purple & Gold is a moth of the Crambidae family, subfamily Pyraustinae, with a wingspan of 15-22 mm.
In Europe it can be found practically everywhere with the exception of Ukraine. In Italy it is also present in Sicily but absent from Sardinia. *

The front wings have a bright purple color with golden yellow spots, especially when they are just flickering, or brown with yellowish spots when worn. It may resemble Pyrausta aurata . In this species the postmedian signs, usually divided into three in Pyrausta aurata , they form a large uninterrupted band in Pyrausta purpuralis . The mark near the back is always much more consistent than that on Pyrausta aurata , and turns towards the base of the wing approaching the dorsal edge


The hind wings are brown in color with a golden yellow band in the post-discal region and a narrower one, at times just hinted at, in the submarginal area.

The Pyrausta purpuralis It is a bivoltine species active mainly during the day but it is possible to observe it active also at night. Adults can be observed in flight from May to September depending on the latitude. It prefers dry and calcareous soils as a habitat and is considered a fairly common species

The larvae feed on Lamiaceae such as Mentha aquatica, Mentha arvensis (field mint), Origanum vulgare (marjoram), Thymus (Thyme) and Labiateae such as Prunella vulgaris.


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/