Tethea ocularis

• Subfamily: Thyatirinae
• Wingspan: 34-44 mm
• Flight period: May - Aug
• Spread: Uncommon
• Host plants: Populus sp.

Information

The Tethea ocularis is a moth of the Drepanidae family with a wingspan of 34-44 mm. It can be found practically all over Europe with the exception of Ireland, Montenegro and Moldavia and obviously as almost always from Iceland. In Italy it is also present in the islands *.

The Tethea ocularis has brown or hazelnut front wings with black shades, and ocher and white. The basal area has a purplish shade in the half towards the costa which may have pearly reflections. The Tethea ocularis has front wings of brown or hazel color with black shades, and ocher and white. The basal area has a purplish shade in the half towards the costa which may have pearly reflections. A lighter central band crosses the wing, bordered by a double black line on both sides.
A white stigmata subtly surrounded by black is clearly visible, centered on the discodial cell and somewhat reminiscent of the number "80" , this stigmata can vary in shape and intensity. A small black line runs from the apex to the post-disc region. The edge has a cream-colored line in turn bordered by a thin black toothed line.
The hind wings are yellowish white with more intense brown shades towards the edge. The head and thorax are hairy, brown in color with ocher and whitish shades, the abdomen is whitish with ocher shades, also with many hairs.

This attractive moth adopts a cylindrical posture at rest, with its wings curled tightly around the body. It can be found in woods, parks and gardens. Univoltine flies from May to August and is attracted to artificial light and sugar. Although widely distributed it is generally rare .

The larvae, when mature, are dull green and have two black dots (one on each side) on each segment. The head is orange with black spots near the mouth parts.
The pupa is brown in color with reddish hues with the apex curved by about 30 °. **

The larvae feed on Populus sp. .


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/