Gortyna flavago (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

Host plants:
The caterpillar lives in myelinated stems of many herbs, including particular species of Arctium (burdock), Eupatorium, Valeriana, Cirsium (thistles).

Habitat:
Gortyna flavago inhabits mostly slightly moist habitats such as forest edges, clearcuts, roadside verges, stream margins and similar places.

Life cycle:
The egg hibernates. The caterpillar lives from late April to July/August in the stems. The pupation takes place there, too. I found pupae in mid-August 2010 in a wooded area near Memmingen in ground-level sections of the stems of Arctium lappa. The moths fly in the early autumn from mid/late August to October.

Endangerment factors:
Gortyna flavago is not endangered.

Remarks:
Gortyna flavago occurs in Europe (excluding Northern Scandinavia) and from Western Asia to the Altai.