71.001 Thaumetopoea processionea (Oak Processionary)
fw: m14-16mm, f16-17mm; Jul-Sep; oaks (Quercus spp); until 2006 a rare migrant, currently naturalised in south and west London and Surrey. See Forestry Commission for more info.
Thaumetopoea processionea (Oak Processionary) §1 male
ID: Dark subbasal, antemedian and postmedian lines; pale basal fascia, grey antemedian fascia, paler grey median fascia with inconspicuous dark central spot, diffuse postmedian fascia edging the postmedian line distally. Female larger and more obscurely marked than male. In T.pityocampa (Pine Processionary) the basal fascia is concolorous with the median fascia and the central spot is a bold dark crescent. Trichiura crataegi (Pale Eggar) [Lasiocampidae] is superficially similar but has 2 rather than 3 crosslines, these lines being wavy or serrate rather than smooth and the median fascia is contrastingly dark.
§1 Westcliff-on-sea, Essex; 02/08/2018; male; fw 12.2mm; to light
§2 Foulness, Essex; 03/08/2024; male; fw 16.1mm
§3 Foulness, Essex; 10/08/2024; male
All images © Chris Lewis
§2 Foulness, Essex; 03/08/2024; male; fw 16.1mm
§3 Foulness, Essex; 10/08/2024; male
All images © Chris Lewis
Page published 17/08/2018 (§1) | §2&3 added 13/10/2024
