Cybosia


Cybosia is a monotypic moth genus in the subfamily Arctiinae erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Its only species, Cybosia mesomella, the four-dotted footman, was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.[2]

Cybosia
Cybosia mesomella f. albescens (ivory‑coloured form)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Genus: Cybosia
Hubner, 1819
Species:
C. mesomella
Binomial name
Cybosia mesomella
Synonyms[1]

Generic

  • Ecteina Rambur, [1866]

Specific

  • Phalaena mesomella Linnaeus, 1758
  • Noctua eborina Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
  • Phalaena quatrilis Geoffroy, 1785
  • Noctua eborea Esper, 1787
  • Lithosia lutarella Haworth, 1809
  • Cybosia mesomella eremella Vorbrodt, 1914
  • Cybosia mesomellula Strand, 1922
  • Cybosia albida Catherine, 1922
  • Cybosia obscura Lempke, 1961
  • Cybosia cremella Krulikovski, 1908
  • Cybosia flava Preissecker, 1909
  • Cybosia mesomella f. flavobscura Lempke, 1964
  • Cybosia mesomella f. postnigrescens Lempke, 1964
  • Cybosia mesomella ab. postpallida Cockayne, 1951
  • Cybosia mesomella f. postpallida Lempke, 1964

Forms
  • Cybosia mesomella f. flava (yellow)
  • Cybosia mesomella f. albescens (ivory colored)

[3]

Description

The wingspan is 25–33 mm.[4][5] The basic colour of the forewings may be yellow or ivory greyish with yellow borders. The forewings show in the middle four small black dots (hence the common name of this species).[4] The hindwings are grey, sometimes with yellowish edges. The thorax and the abdomen are whitish, covered with fine hairs.

Biology
Cybosia mesomella f. flava (yellow form)

This species has one generation per year. Females lay eggs in early July on the larval food plants. The eggs hatch in August or early September. The larvae overwinter and pupate the following spring, from May up to the beginning of June. The moths fly at dusk from June to mid-August depending on location. The larvae feed mainly after dark on low vegetation such as heather, willows, Leontodon autumnalis and Vaccinium uliginosum. They are lichen and algae feeders like most other lithosiines.[1][5][6]

Distribution

This species can be found in most of Europe except Spain, in the east Palearctic realm and in the Near East.[1][7]

Habitat

Cybosia mesomella prefers warm, moist and sunny environment, deciduous and mixed forests, heaths, moorland, damp grassland, fens, wet meadows and open woodlands.[5]

References
  1. Savela, Markku. "Cybosia Hübner, [1819]". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  2. "Four-dotted Footman Cybosia mesomella (Linnaeus, 1758) ". BioLib.cz. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  3. Günter Ebert (Hrsg.): Die Schmetterlinge Baden-Württembergs Band 5, Nachtfalter III (Sesiidae, Arctiidae, Noctuidae). Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1997. ISBN 3-800-13481-0
  4. Kimber, Ian. "Four-dotted Footman Cybosia mesomella". UKMoths. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  5. Hantsmoths
  6. Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfili Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa
  7. Fauna Europaea
  • Witt, T.J. & L. Ronkay, 2011: Lymantriinae and Arctiinae - Including Phylogeny and Check List of the Quadrifid Noctuoidea of Europe. Noctuidae Europaeae Volume 13: 1-448.
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