Clostera pigra (Hufnagel, 1766)

Host plants:
The caterpillar lives on Salix and Populus species.

Habitat:
Clostera pigra is mostly found in young successional stages with young willows, about on gravel, river banks and on young clearings in the forest. The moth also occurs in Salix-rich dwarf shrub belts in the Alps up to over 2300m asl. The caterpillars are often found on very low willows up to 1m above the ground.

Life cycle:
Clostera pigra flies in two generations per year with adults from April to June and in July/August. In higher altitudes there might be only a single generation in summer. The caterpillars are observed in June/July and more frequently in August/September (at higher elevations from late June to August). The caterpillars live singly in leaf bags that are usually applied to the shoot tip. The pupa overwinters.

Endangerment factors:
Clostera pigra is not seriously threatened.

Remarks:
Clostera pigra is widespread in Europe and temperate Asia to China.