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Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Arctia caja
Lepidoptera / Erebidae
A cream-and-brown forewing mosaic conceals orange hindwings marked with blue-black spots. Individual variation is a characteristic of this Holarctic tiger moth.
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The forewings carry irregular brown patches separated by cream-white channels. Orange hindwings bear rounded blue-black spots. The relative area and arrangement of these markings vary between individuals; the two sides of one moth can also differ. [1]
The species has a Holarctic distribution, extending across Europe and temperate Asia to Japan. In North America it occurs in the northern boreal belt and western mountain regions. [2]
The caterpillar overwinters in low vegetation and later pupates in a silken web near the ground. European accounts describe a predominantly single annual generation, with nocturnal adults flying in summer. [2]
Adults do not feed. The energy available for flight and reproduction is accumulated during larval growth, a reproductive strategy termed capital breeding. [3]
When disturbed, an adult can expose its brightly patterned hindwings and release yellow fluid from behind the head. These are distinct components of its defensive display. [1]
In a split-brood rearing experiment published in 2025, offspring of wild-caught females experienced either brighter artificial night lighting or a dim control treatment. Larval mortality increased under brighter lighting in both generations. Female pupal mass was lower in both generations; male pupal mass was higher in the first and unchanged in the second. [3]
Natural History Museum, London · Accessed 2026-10-11
Wellcome Open Research · Accessed 2026-10-11
Basic and Applied Ecology · Accessed 2026-10-11
Sources checked 2026-10-11. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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