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*Orange & Black* (26)
thor68
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 727 W: 115 N: 1056]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif) (4657) | Last week I found a whole bunch of pretty caterpillars
in the garden at work, but I had no idea which species
this could be....now, with the help of my TN friends -
thank you all very much! - the ID:
larvae from the Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae)
A second photo can be seen in the WS-section.
Thanks & have a great sunday! :-)
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The Cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae)
is a brightly coloured arctiid moth, found in Europe and
western and central Asia. It has been introduced into
New Zealand, Australia and North America to control
poisonous ragwort, which its larvae feed on. The moth is
named after the red mineral cinnabar because of the red
patches on its predominantly black wings. Cinnabar
moths are about 20mm long and have a wingspan of 32-42
mm.
Cinnabar moths are day-flying insects. Like many other
brightly coloured moths, it is unpalatable; The larvae
use members of the genus Senecio as foodplants. Many
members of the genus have been recorded as foodplants
but for long term population success the presence of the
larger species such as ragwort is needed. Smaller plant
species such as groundsel are sometimes used but since
the species is lays its eggs in large batches survival
tends to be reduced. The larvae absorb bitter tasting
alkaloid substances from the foodplants, and assimilate
them, becoming unpalatable themselves. The bright
colours of both the larvae and the moths act as a
warning sign so that they are seldom eaten by predators.
Like several other Arctiidae moth larvae, the Cinnabar
caterpillars can turn cannibalistic. This can be due to
lack of food, but they can eat other Cinnabar larvae for
no apparent reason. Females lay up to 300 eggs, usually
in clusters of 30 to 60. Initially the larvae are pale
yellow but later larval stages develop the jet black and
orange/yellow striped colouring. They feed
ravenously and can grow up to 30mm. Cinnabar
caterpillars are voracious eaters and large populations
can strip entire patches of ragwort clean, a result of
their low predation.
Very few often survive to the pupae stage mainly due to
them completely consuming the food source before
reaching maturity, this could be a possible explanation
for their tendency to engage in seemingly random
cannibalistic behaviour, as many will die from
starvation.
[from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnabar_moth]
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Kameramodell Canon EOS 40D
Aufnahmedatum/-zeit 13.06.2008 14:16:10
Aufnahmemodus Manuelle Belichtung
Tv (Verschlusszeit) 1/60
Av (Blendenzahl) 13.0
Messmodus Mehrfeldmessung
Filmempfindlichkeit (ISO) 125
Objektiv 105mm
Brennweite 105.0 mm
Bildgröße 2592x3888
Bildqualität Fein
Blitz Ein
Blitztyp Eingebauter Blitz
Blitzbelichtungskorrektur 0
Verschlusssynchronisation Synchronisation auf den ersten Verschlussvorhang
Weißabgleich Automatisch
AF-Betriebsart Manuelle Fokussierung
Bildstil Landschaft
Schärfe 4
Kontrast 0
Farbsättigung 0
Farbton 0
Farbraum sRGB
Rauschreduzierung bei Langzeitbelichtung 1:Automatisch
High ISO Rauschreduzierung 1:Eingeschaltet
Tonwert Priorität 0:Ausgeschaltet
Dateigröße 2674 KB
Transportart Reihenaufnahme mit geringer Geschwindigkeit |
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