Adscita chloros

Host plants:
Centaurea species, especially Centaurea scabiosa and Centaurea stoebe agg.

Habitat:
Adscita chloros inhabits nutrient-poor, often steppe-like grasslands, heathland and forest clearings with sparse vegetation. In the Cozie Alps I observed caterpillars in a loose pine forest on small clearings with Aporia crataegi, Iphiclides podalirius and Parnassius apollo at about 1200 m above sea level. In Provence I found caterpillars on Centaurea scabiosa in a large grassland complex with Melitaea phoebe, Spiris striata, Hipparchia statilinus and Arethusana arethusa. In Northern Greece I encountered many adults in a sparse pine forest in the Mount Olympus region where it was less hot than in the open country.

Life cycle:
The adults fly in one generation in June/July (early August). Hibernation takes place as a young caterpillar. I found several caterpillars in May.

Endangerment factors:
Adscita chloros occurs only very locally in Germany in the area of Brandenburg, where it is threatened by the decline of xerothermic sand grasslands. Adscita chloros is, however, quite common in parts of Southern Europe and the Southwestern Alps.

Remarks:
As many foresters (green Zygaenidae) Adscita chloros is to distinguish from similar species with certainty only by genital dissection, even if this species shows a strong and characteristic yellow-green colour.

The distribution extends from Southern France across central and Southeastern Europe to Eastern Siberia.