Cerura iberica

Cerura iberica

Cerura iberica is an Iberian endemism, a moth that due to its great voracity can lead to completely defoliate trees, although it is uncommon to find high populations on the same foot, so that damage can be significant almost exclusively in young plantations. The females lay in small groups on the leaves. The larvae eat leaves voraciously, consuming up to the petiole in the later stages if food is scarce. Cerura iberica shows only slight differences to C. vinula (especially male genitalia) and replaces it in SW-Europe (Iberian Peninsula). Both species are sympatric in Spanish Pyrenees and French east Pyrenees.
Through the looking glass Cerura iberica Cerura iberica

Status

Iberian endemism

Habitat

Cerura iberica inhabits river valleys, stony slopes and other places with host plants.

Reproduction

The pupa hibernates in the cocoon and the moths occur between April and July. Larvae are recorded between May and August.

Food

The larvae feed on Salix and Populus.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

http://especiesforestales.com/P_Ponigra.html
http://naturdata.com/Cerura-iberica-35294.htm
http://www.pyrgus.de/Cerura_iberica_en.html
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderLepidoptera
FamilyNotodontidae
GenusCerura
SpeciesCerura iberica
Photographed in
Portugal