Elophos dilucidaria ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)


Elophos dilucidaria: Adult (e.l. Lindauer Hütte, 1750m above sea level, ex 30.04.2011) [S] Elophos dilucidaria: Adult (e.l. Lindauer Hütte, 1750m above sea level, ex 30.04.2011) [S] Elophos dilucidaria: Larva (Lindauer Hütte, 30.04.2007) [M] Elophos dilucidaria: Larval habitat (foreground), Lindauer Hütte, 30.04.2011 [N]

Host plants:
The caterpillars live polyphagous on herbaceous species and dwarf shrubs. In many places, Vaccinium is a major host plant. On the Lindauerhuette (Raetikon, west Austria) I found a caterpillar on 30/04/2007 in a rocky, sunny pasture that was interspersed with loose spruce forest on Anthyllis vulneraria.

Habitat:
Elophos dilucidaria inhabits on the one hand dwarf shrubs in bogs and moors, but on the other hand also rock interspersed stream valleys, clear ravine forests, rough pastures and rocky slopes in subalpine altitudes, forest gap systems and other mostly humid and rainy mountain habitats. Elophos dilucidaria occurs in the mountains from the valleys up to 3000m above sea level.

Life cycle:
The caterpillar overwinters. The moths fly from late June/early July to late August/early September.

Remarks:
Elophos dilucidaria is locally distributed in some mountains from Northern Spain across Central Europe and the Balkans to the Carpathians. It is most common in the Alps. To the north, it is found up to the central German uplands and Poland.