Double-striped pug © Brian Eversham
Double-striped pug caterpillar © Brian Eversham
Double-striped pug
This small moth is often disturbed from bushes, but also flies on sunny days.
Enw gwyddonol
Gymnoscelis rufifasciataPryd i'w gweld
Adult: mainly March to September in several generationsCaterpillar: May to October
Species information
Category
Ystadegau
Forewing length: 8-10 mmCommon
Ynghylch
This small moth can be found in a wide variety of habitats, from urban gardens to heathlands, woodlands and even saltmarshes. It's able to survive in such a variety of places as its caterpillars aren't particularly picky. They will feed on the flowers of a wide range of plants including ivy, ragwort, roses, heather, gorse and trees like ash and hawthorn.Adults are easily disturbed from their daytime resting places in bushes. They may also fly around on sunny days, though they mostly become active just before dusk. They will visit flowers and are often attracted to lights.
Double-striped pugs can be encountered as adults in almost any month of the year. In most of the UK, they appear in two generations: one in spring and a second in summer.
Sut i'w hadnabod
The double-striped pug belongs to a group known as pug moths, which can be tricky to identify. Like other pugs, it rests with its forewings spread wide, revealing part of the hindwings beneath. The double-striped pug varies in size and colour, ranging from sandy or creamy to reddish-brown. Its most distinctive feature is two black lines running across the forewing.Pug caterpillars are also tricky to tell apart. Double-striped pug caterpillars can be pink, green, yellow or white. They usually have a dark line running down the back, often with arrow-shaped markings pointing towards the head. Double-striped pug caterpillars are relatively short and tend to be fatter towards the middle and rear of the body.