Jersey tiger moth

Euplagia quadripunctaria belongs to Arctiinae, the tiger-moth subfamily of Erebidae. Poda described the species in 1761. [1]

The dark forewings have diagonal cream-white stripes, including a characteristic Y-shaped marking near the outer margin. The hindwings are usually orange, but yellow individuals also occur. At rest, the closed forewings form a triangular outline. [1]

The moth occurs widely across Europe, with few records in southern Scandinavia. British populations occupy coastal habitats and suburban or urban gardens. [1]

Eggs are laid in batches. Caterpillars overwinter among dead leaves and feed on low-growing plants, including common nettle and white dead-nettle, as well as bramble. [1]

British adults feed on nectar by day; hemp-agrimony is a recorded nectar source. [2]

British adults fly from mid-July to mid-September and are attracted to light at night. On Rhodes, adults emerge earlier and gather densely in the Petaloudes valley during summer aestivation, a period of seasonal inactivity. British populations do not show this Mediterranean aestivation behaviour. [1][2]

Historical studies used the name Callimorpha quadripunctaria. Euplagia belongs to the tribe Callimorphini. [1]