Seq # 700530010

Utetheisa pulchella (Linnaeus, 1758) Species

Last modified: Oct. 30, 2023, 5:10 p.m.


A seldom recorded vagrant in Belgium, only 4 records till 1960. Recently from 2011 onwards there are a few records mainly in the north of Belgium. 2022 was a very good year with many observations almost throughout the country.


Details

Classification
Family: Erebidae > Subfamily: Arctiinae > Tribus: Arctiini > Genus: Utetheisa > Species: Utetheisa pulchella
Vernacular names
Prachtbeer (NL), Common Speckled (EN), La Gentille, l'Ecaille du Myosotis (FR), Punktbär (DE)
First mention in Belgium
Maurissen 1874. Rapports, lectures, communications. — Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 17: xcvi–xcvii. On page xcvi (as Deiopeia pulchella). view page
Status

Migrant

A very rare recorded migrant in Belgium not seen every year. Known observations on waarnemingen.be after 2000: 2011 (1), 2012 (1), 2013 (3), 2017 (1), 2018 (3), 2022 (47), 2023 (1).


Distribution


Imago

Museum specimens


Specimens in nature


Bionomics

It hibernates as a small larva, but it is not able to survive our cold winters. They fly freely in the sunshine and later come to light.

No pictures yet!

Flight periods

The adults have been recorded from March onwards till early November. All the Belgian specimens have been seen from late May towards late October.


Observed on

Host plant (genera):
Echium, Anchusa, Borago and Myosotis

The polyphagous larva lives on various herbaceous plants like Myosotis, Heliotropium, Echium, Borago officinalis and Anchusa. Also recorded from Solanum, Plantago lanceolata and others.

No pictures yet!