Polia serratilinea (Treitschke, 1825)

Host plants:
The caterpillar is polyphagous on herbs. I collected them prior to hibernation in late July 2009 in Greece (Falakron mountains, 1400m above sea level) and in Valais as L1 with Silene flowers. They feed in the spring often on Pulsatilla flowers (if available, observed in Valais) similar to the larva of Polia bombycina and can be found under moss and old grass at the base of the plants (often striking feeding pattern).

Habitat:
Polia serratilinea colonizes open, warm dry habitats such as steppe slopes and rocky grasslands. Often dry bushes are interspersed in the habitat.

Life cycle:
The caterpillar overwinters and can be found in April and at higher altitudes still in May. During the day, it is then concealed at the base under moss and litter. The moths fly from June to August, in the warmest regions probably starting already in late May. Oviposition seems to take place according to own observations often on Silene-stalks (two egg batches in Phalakron area, Northern Greece, in July 2011). This fits well with the observations of young caterpillars on silene flowers.

Endangerment factors:
In many areas, Polia serratilinea loses massive habitats due to the expansionism of the people (overbuilding, agricultural intensifying as vineyards) or on the other hand by abandonment of extensive grazing and subsequent bush encroachment.

Remarks:
The distribution stretches across European and especially Asian mountains. In Europe, Polia serratilinea occurs in the Southern Alps, parts of the central Alps, locally in the Balkans and the southern Urals.