Viper's bugloss moth
Ethmia bipunctella
The viper's bugloss moth is a small moth that flies in the daytime. It is named after its favourite plant, viper's bugloss, a plant with bright blue flowers. Its caterpillars munch on its leaves.
Lives in
Central and Southern Europe, North Africa, Asia and northeastern North America
Wingspan
1.9 to 2.8 cm (0.75 to 1.1 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It does not bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat viper's bugloss, and also alkanet and comfrey.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
🍚wings as wide as 5 grains of rice in a row⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 32 seconds
How big is Viper's bugloss moth compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
Viper's bugloss moth about 12 km/h (7.5 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
Its wings are about 2 to 3 centimetres from tip to tip.
2
It has two families each year and flies from May to September.
3
Its pupa is fixed to a piece of dead wood.
you asked
Most asked questions about Viper's bugloss moth
?What does the viper's bugloss moth eat?
Its caterpillars eat viper's bugloss, alkanet and comfrey.
?Does the viper's bugloss moth fly in the day?
Yes. It is a day-flying moth.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Ethmia bipunctella
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Depressariidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Depressariidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Africa, Asia, North America
Where the facts come from
- Ethmia bipunctella (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Svdmolen. CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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