Thumata senex

• Subfamily: Arctiinae, Lithosiini, Nudariina
• Wingspan: 16-22 mm
• Flight period: Jun - Aug
• Spread: Rare
• Host plants: Lichenes and mosses

Information

The Thumata senex is a moth of the Erebidae family, subfamily Arctiinae, with a wingspan of 16-22 mm.
Visible throughout Europe, it is absent from Portugal and the Balkan peninsula, in Italy it is absent from the islands. *

In Italy it is very scarce [reported by MARIANI (1940-41) generically from Piedmont, Trentino, and the Alpine area], by PROVERA (1922) and by BERTACCINI et al. (1995) is confirmed in South Tyrol (Val Venosta, Val Senales and Val d'Adige) and in Emilia-Romagna (Bosco della Mesola, Pinete di Classe and San Vitale, Punte Alberete and Scolo Rivalone), while FIUMI & CAMPORESI (1988), damage it present "in the wetlands overlooking the coastal pine forests of Ravenna").

It is probably a very localized and rare species , and MARINI & TRENTINI (1982a) considered their finds in 1982 still "the only finds in Italy in the last 50 years". It is new for the Veneto . Observations: it seems to be present in the coastal wetlands and woodlands as far as the stadium is concerned larval is related to mosses and lichens. (MARIANI & DE STEFANI, 1947; MARINI & TRENTINI, 1982a and 1984). **

The coloring of the wings of the Thumata senex ranges from light brown to straw yellow, with brown-black markings and shades on all the wings. Obvious dark spots are present in the median area of ​​the anterior wing and in the radial area of ​​the rear wing, between the discal and postdiscal regions. The costa is of the background color of the wing, intersected by dark markings, more or less evident, more pronounced near the apex. The edge of the wing has a series of dark spots corresponding to the veins.

Adults are in flight from mid-June to mid-August in one generation.The egg is round, yellow. The larva is ash gray, very hairy, with a black head. The pupa is squat, dark brown in color, is found in a dense hairy cocoon. Moths fly over damp meadows and are attracted to artificial light at night.

The larvae feed on various mosses and lichens such as Jungermannia complanata and J. dilatata, Homalothecium, Dicranoweissia and Peltigera **





* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** riportato completamente da: Boll. Mus. civ. St. nat. Venezia, 52 (2001) 2001 103 - Giampaolo Rallo, Marco Uliana NOTE SU ALCUNI LEPIDOPTERA DI VALLE AVERTO IN LAGUNA DI VENEZIA E DELL'ENTROTERRA VENEZIANO Ricerche scientifiche nella Riserva naturale del W.W.F. di Valle dell'Averto - 9