Euplagia quadripunctaria

Jersey tiger
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Erebidae
Subfamily:	Arctiinae
Genus:	Euplagia
Species:	E. quadripunctaria
Binomial name
	Euplagia quadripunctaria; (Poda, 1761)
Synonyms
	Phalaena quadripunctaria Poda, 1761 ; Phalaena hera Linnaeus, 1767 ; Callimorpha quadripunctaria (Poda, 1761) ; Callimorpha hera (Linnaeus, 1767) ;

Euplagia quadripunctaria, the Jersey tiger, or Spanish flag, is a diurnal moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus in 1761. The adult wingspan is 52–65 millimetres (2.0–2.6 in), and they fly from July to September, depending on the location.^[1] They tend to fly close to Eupatorium cannabinum.^[2]

The larvae (caterpillars) are polyphagous, feeding from September to May on nettles (Urtica), raspberries (Rubus),^[3] dandelion (Taraxacum), white deadnettle (Lamium), ground ivy (Glechoma), groundsel (Senecio), plantain (Plantago), borage (Borago), lettuce (Lactuca),^[4] and hemp-agrimony (Eupratoria).^[1] The insect overwinters as a small larva.^[1]

Large groups of adults of subspecies E. q. rhodosensis can be found on occasion aestivating (sheltering from the summer heat) in Petaloudes, on Rhodes, in a place that has become known as the Valley of the Butterflies.^[5]

^ ^a ^b ^c Skinner, Bernard. (1984). The Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles (Macrolepidoptera). Viking (Penguin Books), London: ISBN 0-670-80354-5
^ Tomozii, Bogdan; Deju, Răzvan; Cătănoiu, Sebastian (2018-01-01). "(PDF) Preliminary data on distribution of Jersey tiger moth Euplagia quadripunctaria (Poda, 1761) in the Vânători Neamț Nature Park". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
^ Kirby, W. F. (1903). The Butterflies and Moths of Europe. Cassell & Co. Ltd., London: 432 pp.
^ South, R. (1920). The Moths of the British Isles. (Series 1, Second edition), Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., London: 359 pp.
^ Heath, J. & Maitland, Emmet A. (1985). The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol.2, Harley Books Ltd., Colchester: ISBN 0-946589-02-X

[Skinner-1] Skinner, Bernard. (1984). The Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles (Macrolepidoptera). Viking (Penguin Books), London: ISBN 0-670-80354-5

[x547-2] Tomozii, Bogdan; Deju, Răzvan; Cătănoiu, Sebastian (2018-01-01). "(PDF) Preliminary data on distribution of Jersey tiger moth Euplagia quadripunctaria (Poda, 1761) in the Vânători Neamț Nature Park". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2024-06-27.

[Kirby-3] Kirby, W. F. (1903). The Butterflies and Moths of Europe. Cassell & Co. Ltd., London: 432 pp.

[South-4] South, R. (1920). The Moths of the British Isles. (Series 1, Second edition), Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., London: 359 pp.

[Heath-5] Heath, J. & Maitland, Emmet A. (1985). The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol.2, Harley Books Ltd., Colchester: ISBN 0-946589-02-X

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