Odonestis pruni (Linnaeus, 1758)


Odonestis pruni: Male (SW-Bulgaria, Southwesternmost foot of Pirin, early August 2017, light trap Stoyan Beshkov) [M] Odonestis pruni: Male (SW-Bulgaria, Southwesternmost foot of Pirin, early August 2017, light trap Stoyan Beshkov) [M] Odonestis pruni: Male (SW-Bulgaria, Southwesternmost foot of Pirin, early August 2017, light trap Stoyan Beshkov) [M] Odonestis pruni: Male (SW-Bulgaria, Southwesternmost foot of Pirin, early August 2017, light trap Stoyan Beshkov) [M] Odonestis pruni: Male (SW-Bulgaria, Southwesternmost foot of Pirin, early August 2017, light trap Stoyan Beshkov) [M] Odonestis pruni: Male (SW-Bulgaria, Southwesternmost foot of Pirin, early August 2017, light trap Stoyan Beshkov) [M] Odonestis pruni: Habitat, environment of the light trap in a river valley with a mosaic of scrub, woodland and dry pastures (SW-Bulgaria, Southwesternmost foot of Pirin, early August 2017) [N]

Host plants:
The larvae feed on woody Rosaceae (especially Prunus species), more rarely also on other deciduous woods like Betula.

Habitat:
Odonestis pruni generally inhabits light, semiopen places with the host plants, especially hedgerow countries, extensively managed orchards, open woodlands with bushy edges and undergrowth, scrub and similar warm but not too dry habitats.

Life cycle:
The larva hibernates and rests openly on a branch. The moths occur usually in one generation between June and early August. In the South and in warm years locally also in Central Europe regionally a second generation is involved with moths in May/June and again between late July and early September.

Endangerment factors:
Odonestis pruni is strongly endangered in Central Europe due to agricultural intensification (already nearly complete destroyment of hedges and other structures in agricultural landscapes), the intensification (application of biocides) in orchards and the large-scale dark forest management.

Remarks:
Odonestis pruni occurs locally in Central and Southern Europe and parts of temperate Asia.