Pechipogo plumigeralis

• Subfamily: Herminiinae
• Wingspan: 26-36 mm
• Flight period: Apr - Sep
• Spread: Common
• Host plants: Araliaceae, Fabaceae, Rosaceae

Information

The Pechipogo plumigeralis also called Plumed Fan-foot is a moth of the Erebidae family, subfamily Arctiinae, with a wingspan of 26-36 mm.
It is found in central and southern Europe, and is absent from Ireland, Denmark, the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, from Hungary, the Baltic countries and Eastern European Russia. In Italy it is also present in the islands. *

The front wings of the Pechipogo plumigeralis vary from brown to greyish ocher with dusting of dark brown; the internal and external lines are respectively dark brown and yellowish, folded under the costa and very sinuous. The subterminal line is soft, dark brown, almost straight. The cellular mark is dark and poorly defined.
The hind wings are very similar to the slightly lighter fore wings.
The brown head is equipped with long curved palps, bent near the apex. Chest and abdomen are the same color as the head.

The sexual dimorphism is not evident. Uni or bivoltine, the adults fly from April to September depending on the latitude, sometimes it is possible to meet them even in October. It overwinters as a larva and pupates among the plant residues.

The eggs are spherical, gelatinous with small red or brown spots. **
The larva is yellowish red, sometimes wood brown with a broad brown dorsal line. A square white spot is visible in the segment incisions. Narrow subdorsal lines; a strong oblique dark stripe is present on the sides of each segment; the head is dark, opaque ***. The pupa is cylindrical, thinned to one side, reddish brown in color. **

The Caterpillar feeds on various plant species ranging from shrubs to grasses and include Rubus (bramble), Sarothamnus, Rosa, Cytisus and Hedera helix.


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/
*** Warren. W. in Seitz, A. Ed., 1914 Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde, Verlag Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart Band 3: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen eulenartigen Nachtfalter, 1914