Meganephria bimaculosa (Linnaeus, 1767)


Meganephria bimaculosa: Female (e.l. rearing, Peloponnese, Chelmos, larva in May 2017) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Female (e.l. rearing, Peloponnese, Chelmos, larva in May 2017) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Female (e.l. rearing, Peloponnese, Chelmos, larva in May 2017) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Half-grown larva (Samos Island, Greece, Manolates, May 2017) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Half-grown larva (Samos Island, Greece, Manolates, May 2017) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Half-grown larva (Samos Island, Greece, Manolates, May 2017) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva in penultimate instar (in moult rest into the last instar, Greece, Mount Chelmos, early May 2016) [M] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva in penultimate instar (in moult rest into the last instar, Greece, Mount Chelmos, early May 2016) [M] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva in penultimate instar (in moult rest into the last instar, Greece, Mount Chelmos, early May 2016) [M] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva in penultimate instar (in moult rest into the last instar, Greece, Mount Chelmos, early May 2016) [M] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva in penultimate instar (in moult rest into the last instar, Greece, Mount Chelmos, early May 2016) [M] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva in penultimate instar (in moult rest into the last instar, Greece, Mount Chelmos, early May 2016) [M] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva (e.l. rearing, Greece, Chelmos, early May 2016) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva (e.l. rearing, Greece, Chelmos, early May 2016) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva (e.l. rearing, Greece, Chelmos, early May 2016) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva (e.l. rearing, Greece, Chelmos, early May 2016) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva (e.l. rearing, Greece, Chelmos, early May 2016) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva (e.l. rearing, Greece, Chelmos, early May 2016) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva (e.l. rearing, Greece, Chelmos, early May 2016) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva (e.l. rearing, Greece, Chelmos, early May 2016) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva (e.l. rearing, Greece, Chelmos, early May 2016) [S] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva (Greece, Peloponnese, Chelmos, May 2017) [M] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larva (Greece, Peloponnese, Chelmos, May 2017) [M] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larval habitat (Greece, Chelmos, early May 2016) [N] Meganephria bimaculosa: Larval habitat (Greece, Chelmos, early May 2016) [N]

Host plants:
The larvae feed on elms (Ulmus sp.).

Habitat:
Meganephria bimaculosa inhabits elm-rich groves and warm, open woodland. I recorded the larva on elms along a small streamlet near Mount Chelmos (Peloponnese) in 2016 and 2017. In May 2017 I also found a larva in Samos Island (Manolates stream valley).

Life cycle:
The moths occur in autumn (especially October). The egg hibernates and the larvae feed between April and early or mid-June.

Endangerment factors:
Meganephria bimaculosa is almost extinct in Central Europe, probably because elm-rich, warm and sunny groveshave become quite rare in the uniformous agricultural steppe and because Meganephria bimaculosa has high demands on area for a functioning meta population structure. Meganephria bimaculosa is still much less threatened in S-Europe.

Remarks:
Meganephria bimaculosa occurs in South and parts of Central Europe (almost extinct) as well as in W-Asia (e.g. Turkey).


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