Callimorpha dominula (Linnaeus, 1758)


Callimorpha dominula: Adult (Memmingen, Southern Germany) [S] Callimorpha dominula: Adult (Memmingen, Southern Germany) [S] Callimorpha dominula: Adult [S] Callimorpha dominula: Adult [S] Callimorpha dominula: Adult (S-Germany, Lautrach near Memmingen, 2013) [S] Callimorpha dominula: Adult [N] Callimorpha dominula: Adult [S] Callimorpha dominula: Young larva in September (Valais, Switzerland) [M] Callimorpha dominula: Young larvae at Myosotis palustris [N] Callimorpha dominula: Half-grown larva [N] Callimorpha dominula: Half-grown larva [M] Callimorpha dominula: Larva in penultimate instar (Valais, Switzerland) [N] Callimorpha dominula: Half-grown larva [N] Callimorpha dominula: Half-grown larva (S-Germany, Lautrach near Memmingen, May 2013) [N] Callimorpha dominula: Larva (S-Germany, Lautrach near Memmingen, May 2013) [N] Callimorpha dominula: Larva (S-Germany, Lautrach near Memmingen, May 2013) [N] Callimorpha dominula: Larva (Ticino, Isone, May 2013) [N] Callimorpha dominula: Fully-grown larva [N] Callimorpha dominula: Larva [M] Callimorpha dominula: Larva [M] Callimorpha dominula: Larva [N] Callimorpha dominula: Pupa [S] Callimorpha dominula: Larval habitat at a stream near Schwäbisch Gmünd (S-Germany). Here I observed a young larva on Urtica, November 2011. [N] Callimorpha dominula: Habitat in the Swiss Valais (April 2009): partly humid slope with small areas with water pression. Many larvae of C. dominula and some Brenthis daphne on Rubus caesius.. [N]

Host plants:
The caterpillar is polyphagous on herbs and lower parts of deciduous bushes and trees, but it is feeding very often on Urtica dioica, Cirsium palustre rosettes and Myosotis palustris.

Habitat:
Callimorpha dominula inhabits humid clearings in wet forests, bog margins, ditch edges, stream edges in the forest area and clearcuts. The caterpillars are found especially along ditches.

Life cycle:
The caterpillars are very noticeable from September to November and again from late February to late May/early June when often several larvae sit on Cirsium rosettes and other host plants. Later, they also climb up on shrubs such as Salix caprea. The moths fly during the day in the sunshine in June and July and visit flowers (thistles).

Endangerment factors:
Clearings are planted in too fast and too close, so that they are lost as reproduction habitat too quickly. Unfortunately, nonsensical laws (reforestation obligation for example in Germany) are complicit for this development. Besides, canalized streams etc. provide little suitable habitat. Thus Callimorpha dominula is in decline in many regions.

Remarks:
Callimorpha dominula is still quite common only in a few humid regions such as the Ticino and the German Alpine foothills.

Callimorpha dominula is distributed from Northern Spain across parts of Europe (to the north to about Sweden) to Russia (Urals) and the Middle East (Iran).



Callimorpha quadripunctaria