# 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.

- **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.

## About

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).

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/af8726e6-e764-4e27-a278-333a5da5bf80
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/325591
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoligia furuncula
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/310082342/medium.jpg (Óscar Sampedro, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.