Links - Click links below to navigate site
 
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © David McCormick 2009, unless otherwise stated, and must not be reproduced or published in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the author.
 
This website is designed to be viewed on Internet Explorer at a resolution 1024x768 or higher, and may not reproduce correctly on Firefox or other browsers.
 
Welcome to Daves Moth and Butterfly World -
Species Name: Buff Ermine

Welcome to Dave McCormick's Moth and Butterfly World. Here is information on the Buff Ermine (Spilarctia luteum). Hear Scientific Name Sound

Go Back to Arctiidae Page

Go to Thumbnail Species Index 

Information

The Buff Ermine (Spilarctia luteum) is a moth of the family Arctiidae. It is sometimes placed in the genus Spilosoma. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East.

The Buff Ermine is found in Europe, Near East and the UK.

In the Near East, it is found as far as Korea, but no further. In Europe this moth is found in steppes, fields and waste ground all over Europe.

In the UK the Buff Ermine is very well distributed  and frequent throughout England, Wales, Isle of Man and in Ireland. In mainland Scotland and the Inner Hebrides, this moth is more local but near the west coast of Scotland to Caithness, it is more frequent. It is also abundant and widespread on the Channel Islands.

In Northern Ireland the Buff Ermine is widespread and common. It has been recorded from all counties and from Copland Bird Observatory in Co Down and on Rathlin Island in Co Antrim.

The habitats this moth is found in are sand dunes, hedgerows, gardens, parks and woodland.

In October of 2008, Dr. Reginald Phelps, a lepidopterist at Indiana University (Bloomington), in conjunction with Dr. Michael Postre, a virologist also at Indiana University (Bloomington), successfully extracted an enzyme from the wings of the Buff Ermine which they believe have the potential to prevent Kuru (disease) among indigenous peoples who still practice cannibalism as part of religious ceremonies.

Drs. Phelps and Postre, and an independent team of scientists from the CDC are concurrently conducting tests to check the veracity of these findings.

Flight Period

The Buff Ermine is found from May to July in the UK and Europe. I am not yet sure of its flight period in the Near East.

Finding this moth as an adult in spring depends on how long it takes to get to adult after hibernating. This is based on what stage it hibernated as, either a half grown caterpillar or a pupae in a cocoon.

In Ireland this moth is found from late April to July depending on where it is found. In Donegal this moth is found from late May to early July. In east Wicklow this moth is found from May to August, with fewest records being in August and in south Waterford this moth can be found from late April to July and rarer, in September.

In Northern Ireland this moth is found from around the 14th May to the 4th August.

This table has information on the flight period of the Buff Ermine Moth. The flight period represents an area as a whole based on overall records of flight times. This may vary in areas within the locations mentioned.

The shaded cells in orange, indicate what months the moth is found as an adult. Half coloured cells indicate the first or second half of a month when the moth flies.

N Ireland is Northern Ireland and S Ireland is South of Ireland and W Ireland is West of Ireland (Any part of Ireland not included in Northern Ireland).

Area

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Europe
Near East

Scotland

England

Wales

N Ireland

S Ireland

W Ireland

Similar Species

White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda), Water Ermine (Spilosoma urticae), Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica).

Known Aberrations

Ab. Intermedia, Ab. Zatima

Adult Information

The wingspan of this moth is 34-42 mm. The wings of this species are buffish yellow (the males tend to be more yellow in colour than the females) and are typically marked with a diagonal row of dark spots on the forewing and a few other scattered spots on both forewings and hindwings.

 The extent of black markings varies considerably however, from almost spotless examples to largely black melanic forms.

Adult Images

Image/Page Link Date Taken  Taken By
Buff Ermine on Fence

Information  

Location: Mountstewart, Co Down, Northern Ireland.

I found this on the fence in my garden. It looked not long emerged from pupae given it had still moist/floppy wings. There are quite a few buff ermines in my garden usually. Taken with my Samsung Digimax L85. Taken on 29/06/2007.

 		 29/06/2007 David McCormick

Mating Information

None

Caterpillar Information

The caterpillars are pale brown and very hairy. They are polyphagous, feeding on a wide variety of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants including Nettle, Rhubarb, Alder and Raspberry. This species overwinters as a pupa..

Pupae Information

This species overwinters as a pupa.

Forms Pages

None

Subspecies Pages

None

Aberrations

There is variation in the number of black spots or marks on the wings of this moth and sometimes these spots can become stripes. The extent of black in the wings has been exaggerated by captive interbreeding, but this is much less common in the wild. Here are some aberrations I know of:

Ab. Intermedia

Number of spots and their size is variable in the buff ermine. In this aberration, the spots have fused together, becoming streaks.

Ab. Zatima

This aberration is rare to find in wild. This variation has mostly black wings because the extent of the black marks on the wings has became extreme. This has been bred in captivity through selective breeding.

Videos Pages

None

Map Data

This is to show the compiled map data for this species that I have made. There is currently no map data for this species. 

References

http://www.ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=2762 - Buff Ermine - (c) 2009, Ian Kimbler

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buff_ermine - Buff Ermine - Wikipedia

The Butterflies and Moths of Northern Ireland - (c) 2006, Robert Thompson, Brian Nelson

Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland (Revised edition) - Paul Waring and Martin Townsend (c) 2003, 2009

http://www.mothsireland.com/species/2061.htm -  Buff Ermine - MothsIreland - (c) 7th December 2009, Angus Tyner

Page last edited: 24/12/2009 15:26

(c) David McCormick 2009