Species Profile
Green List; common and widespread with stable populations
- Lifespan
- approximately 4–6 weeks as an adult moth
- Size & Weight
- wingspan 32–38 mm
- Habitat
- Found in gardens, orchards, woodlands, and scrubland where currants and gooseberries grow, typically in areas with mixed vegetation.
- UK Distribution
- Widespread throughout England, Wales, and southern Scotland; absent from northern Scotland. Resident species with populations present from June to August.
- Diet
- Caterpillars feed on gooseberry and currant plants (Ribes species); adults feed on nectar and other plant fluids.
- Predators
- Birds such as robins and blue tits; spiders; parasitoid wasps that attack caterpillars.
- Mating Season
- June to August
- Breeding
- Females lay clusters of eggs on host plants; caterpillars develop through several instars over 4–6 weeks; typically one generation per year, occasionally a partial second generation in southern regions.
- Behaviour
- The Magpie Moth is nocturnal and attracted to light. Adults rest with wings folded tent-like over the body. The distinctive black and white caterpillars with orange/yellow bands are warning-coloured to deter predators.
Did You Know?- •Named after its striking black and white patterned wings, which resemble a magpie's plumage
- •The caterpillar's bold orange and black striping is aposematic colouration, warning predators that it is toxic or distasteful
- •One of the most recognisable British moths, often seen in gardens during summer evenings
- •Historically, populations increased dramatically in the 20th century, likely due to increased planting of ornamental Ribes species in gardens
- •The moth was featured in early evolutionary studies of industrial melanism, though it does not exhibit the dark form seen in other species like the Peppered Moth
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