Malacosoma alpicola Staudinger, 1870

Host plants:
The caterpillars live polyphagous on herbs and dwarf shrubs, often on Alchemilla or Geranium sp.

Habitat:
Malacosoma alpicola colonizes alpine meadows, pastures, forb communities and rocky slopes from around 1000m above sea level upwards.

Life cycle:
The eggs overwinter similar as with Malacosoma castrensis. The caterpillars are often numerous on the mountain meadows in the early summer. Adults are observed from July to September.

Remarks:
Malacosoma alpicola has a disjunct distribution in mountains (Morocco, Spain, France, Alps, Balkans) and extends to Central Asia.