Jersey tiger

About

The Jersey tiger is a moth that can easily be confused with a day-flying species, although it belongs to the nocturnal tiger moths. It flies during the day and feeds on nectar from flowers. In Ukraine, the Jersey tiger is found locally throughout the territory. In places where it has settled, during peak flight, one can count 5–50 moths per hectare in a small area. It is worth searching for it in forest edges, sparse forests, and shrubs, especially near flowering hemp agrimony.

Wingspan is 52–65 mm. The forewings are black with a green metallic sheen and three oblique cream stripes, while the hindwings are bright red with two to three black spots. The bright coloration warns birds that the moth is inedible: it is protected by substances harmful to them.

Moths fly from July to September, depending on the area. The caterpillar is up to 5 cm long, dark gray with a yellow stripe on its back and white spots on the sides, covered with reddish warts with short bristles. It lives from September to May and feeds on various plants — nettle, raspberry, dandelion, dead-nettle, plantain.

In the EU, the Jersey tiger is the only moth marked as a priority species in Annex II of the Habitats Directive, thus territories of Natura 2000 are created for its sake. In Ukraine, in 1994, the species was in the Red Book, but in 2009 it was removed from there, and it is not included in the 2021 list either. The main threats are the destruction of sparse forests and shrubs, grazing, and pesticides.

Where in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries

Hungary · Slovakia · Austria · Romania · Ukraine · Poland · Czechia

Mountain ranges

Mátra, Bükk, Börzsöny and Cserhát, Zemplén Mountains, Harghita and Gurghiu Mountains, Slovak Ore Mountains, Vrancea Mountains, Bihor-Vlădeasa Mountains, Pokuttia-Bukovina Carpathians, Vtáčnik Mountains

Altitude belts

Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m)

When to see it

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Protection and rules

Not included in the Red Book of Ukraine (removed in 2009); in the EU — a priority species of Annex II of the Habitats Directive.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ