Eilema albicosta (Rogenhofer, 1894))


Eilema albicosta: Female (La Gomera) [S] Eilema albicosta: Female (La Gomera) [M] Eilema albicosta: Male (La Gomera) [M] Eilema albicosta: Male [M] Eilema albicosta: Male (La Gomera) [M] Eilema albicosta: Ovae [S] Eilema albicosta: Ovae [S] Eilema albicosta: L1 (end of this instar) [S] Eilema albicosta: L2 [S] Eilema albicosta: Half-grown larva (La Gomera, December 2008) [M] Eilema albicosta: Larva in penultimate instar [S] Eilema albicosta: Larva in penultimate instar [S] Eilema albicosta: Larva (La Gomera) [S] Eilema albicosta: Larva (e.l. La Gomera 2008) [S] Eilema albicosta: Larva [S] Eilema albicosta: Larva (La Gomera) Eilema albicosta: Larva (La Gomera) [S] Eilema albicosta: Pupa (La Gomera) [S] Eilema albicosta: Habitat (La Gomera) [N]

Host plants:
Lichens, algae, moss, detritus.

Habitat:
Eilema albicosta inhabits rocky or stony places which are almost ubiquitous in the Canaries. It penetrates even to settlements and is found from the coast to about 1000m above sea level, perhaps even higher.

Life cycle:
Eilema albicosta is found throughout the year. The caterpillars are usually concealed during the day and feed at night until the early morning. Only in wet weather it can also be found rarely during the day.

Remarks:
Eilema albicosta is found only in the Canary Islands and is usually fairly common (but missing in Fuerteventura). The moths are often found on illuminated walls.
A single observation is reported from southern mainland Spain (introduced?).



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