Phlogophora scita (Hübner, 1790)

Host plants:
In the autumn, the young caterpillars live only on ferns (especially Dryopteris filix-mas and related species). In spring the caterpillars are polyphagous.

Habitat:
Phlogophora scita inhabits mountain forests with ferns.

Life cycle:
In the autumn, the larvae are easy to find particularly in October at the old fronds near the ground. They can be tapped in September/October. The caterpillars are fully-grown in May. The moths fly from mid-June through August.

Endangerment: endangered

Endangerment factors:
Phlogophora scita is threatened in particular outside the Alps by intensification in silviculture (spruce fields) and the eutrophication of many forests (blackberry encroachment) and possibly by climate change.

Remarks:
Phlogophora scita occurs in central and south Eastern Europe and is found in the hilly and mountainous country, e.g. the Alps, the Black Forest and the Jurassic Alb moutains. In addition, it penetrates through Asia Minor to the Caucasus.