Cloaked Minor
Mesoligia furuncula
Its common name 'Cloaked Minor' comes from the distinct, contrasting dark and light halves of its forewings, which resemble a tiny draped cloak.
- Scientific name
- Mesoligia furuncula
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Noctuidae › Mesoligia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Dry grasslands, sand dunes, heathlands, pastures, and grassy verges.
- Diet
- Caterpillars feed on the stems of various grasses (Poaceae) such as sheep's fescue; adults feed on flower nectar.
- Range
- Europe, Western Asia, North Africa
- Size
- Wingspan of 22-28 mm
- Lifespan
- Approximately 1 year (including egg, larval, and pupal stages; adults live for 2-3 weeks)
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss due to intensive agricultural practices, pesticide use, and light pollution.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. If one flies near you, maintain a safe distance to avoid harming its delicate wings. If it lands on you, gently blow on it or let it crawl onto a leaf to relocate it. No medical action required.
The cloaked minor (Mesoligia furuncula) is a moth of the family Noctuoidea. It is found in the Palearctic ecozone (Europe, north-west Africa, Russia, Siberia, Japan, north Iran, Afghanistan and China (Qinghai, Shaanxi).
Photo: Óscar Sampedro, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/af8726e6-e764-4e27-a278-333a5da5bf80.md