Pachetra sagittigera (Hufnagel, 1766)

Host plants:
The larvae feed mainly on grasses, more rarely also on herbaceous plants.

Habitat:
Pachetra sagittigera inhabits nutrient-poor grasslands of all kinds such as limestone juniper grasslands, steppe slopes, extensively mowed meadows or mountain pastures.

Life cycle:
The caterpillar overwinters already quite large and is mature in March or April. She is also active in the winter if the weather is suitable. I found caterpillars, for example, in grasslands on south-facing slopes in the Swabian Alb in mid February 2008. They were concealed in clumps of grass (Festuca guestfalica, Bromus erectus), which had been warmed by the sun. The moths fly in early summer.

Endangerment: regionally endangered or decreasing

Endangerment factors:
Pachetra sagittigera is in decline especially in Central Europe due to the reduction of nutrient-poor grasslands.

Remarks:
Pachetra sagittigera is widespread in Europe (except in the Far North) and in temperate Asia to Mongolia.