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Cossus cossus
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| Goat moth | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Cossidae |
| Genus: | Cossus |
| Species: | C. cossus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cossus cossus | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Cossus cossus, the goat moth, is a moth of the family Cossidae. It is found in Northern Africa, Asia and Europe.
Biology
[edit]This is a large heavy moth with a wingspan of 68–96 mm. The wings are greyish brown and marked with fine dark cross lines. The moth flies from April to August depending on the location.
The caterpillars have a red/purple stripe across the back and a black head. They reach a length of 9–10 cm. The caterpillars feed in the trunks and branches of a wide variety of trees (see list below), taking three to five years to mature. The caterpillar holes can be found low on the stem (maximum 1.0–1.5 m above the ground). When ready to pupate the caterpillar leaves the tree to find a suitable spot.
The species prefer humid environments. Both the larva and moth have a smell reminiscent of goat, hence its name.[1]
As a food
[edit]Pliny reported in Natural History that a grub which he gives the name cossus was considered a Roman delicacy after it was fed with flour. Some writers have equated this with Cossus cossus, but Pliny specifies that his cossus is found in oak trees, which makes this identification unlikely. Pliny's cossus is more likely to have been the larva of the beetle Cerambyx heros. [2]
Recorded food plants
[edit]It has a preference for Populus, Quercus[citation needed] and Salix.
Taxonomy
[edit]Cossus balcanicus Lederer, 1863 from Bulgaria is probably a hybrid between C. cossus and Lamellocossus terebrus (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775).
Subspecies
[edit]- Cossus cossus cossus
- Cossus cossus albescens Kitt, 1925 (Kazakhstan, Russia)
- Cossus cossus araraticus Teich, 1896 (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran)
- Cossus cossus armeniacus Rothschild, 1912 (Turkey)
- Cossus cossus chinensis Rothschild, 1912 (China: Shaanxi)
- Cossus cossus dauricus Yakovlev, 2007 (Russia: Transbaikal)
- Cossus cossus dersu Yakovlev, 2009 (Russia: southern Ussuri, Primorsky Krai)
- Cossus cossus deserta Daniel, 1953 (Mongolia)
- Cossus cossus gueruenensis Friedel, 1977 (Asia Minor)
- Cossus cossus kopetdaghi Yakovlev, 2009 (Turkmenistan)
- Cossus cossus kossai Wiltshire, 1957 (Iraq, Jordan)
- Cossus cossus lucifer Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 (Tibet)
- Cossus cossus mongolicus Erschoff, 1882 (Mongolia)
- Cossus cossus omrana Wiltshire, 1957 (Iraq, Iran)
- Cossus cossus tianshanus Hua, Chou, Fang & Chen, 1990 (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan)
- Cossus cossus uralicus Seitz, 1912 (Uralsk)
Gallery
[edit]-
Caterpillar
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Caterpillars of different age on willow wood
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Caterpillar (underside; head to the right)
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Illustrated caterpillar
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Willow with caterpillars
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Caterpillars
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Pupal case
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Illustration from John Curtis's British Entomology Volume 5
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Illustrated pupa
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Illustrated adult
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Mounted
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Caterpillar
References
[edit]- ^ Ford, R.L.E. (1963). The Observer's Book of Larger Moths. London: Frederick Warne. p. 217.
- ^ F. S. Bodenheimer, Insects as Human Food: A Chapter of the Ecology of Man, Springer, November 27, 2013, ISBN 9789401761598
- Skinner, Bernard (1984). Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles. Viking Press. p. 3. ISBN 0-670-80354-5.
- Waring, Paul; Martin Townsend (2003). Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 0-9531399-2-1.
- This information, or an older version, was partially obtained from De Vlinderstichting - Vlindernet – http://www.vlindernet.nl/ (geraadpleegd 18-05-2017).
External links
[edit]Cossus cossus
View on GrokipediaTaxonomy
Nomenclature
The binomial name of this species is Cossus cossus (Linnaeus, 1758), with the species placed in the family Cossidae.[5] It was originally described by Carl Linnaeus as Phalaena (Bombyx) cossus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae.[6] The type locality is Europe, based on specimens available to Linnaeus at the time of description.[5] Several synonyms have been proposed over time due to historical taxonomic revisions, including Onychia cossus Germar, 1810; Phalaena cossus Linnaeus, 1758; Cossus similis Herrich-Schäffer, 1851; Cossus variolosa Hübner, 1823; and Bombyx unguiculatus Fabricius, 1793.[5] The generic name Cossus derives from the Latin term for a type of wood-boring larva or grub found under tree bark, reflecting the species' larval habits.[7] This name has ancient roots, as Pliny the Elder referenced "cossus" in his Natural History (circa 77 CE) as a delicacy prepared by feeding the grubs on flour, esteemed in Roman cuisine particularly among the lower classes.[8]Subspecies
The goat moth, Cossus cossus, exhibits significant intraspecific variation across its wide Palaearctic range, leading to the recognition of multiple subspecies based primarily on morphological traits such as wing coloration, size, and genitalia structure, as well as geographic isolation. These subspecies are distinguished in modern lepidopteran catalogs, though some have been debated or elevated to full species status due to genetic and morphological evidence. Recognition criteria emphasize subtle differences in forewing patterns (e.g., intensity of dark lines and spotting), body size, and larval markings, often corroborated by molecular data in recent studies. Potential hybridization with closely related species like Cossus balcanicus has been noted in overlap zones, complicating boundaries in southeastern Europe.[9][10] The following table summarizes key recognized subspecies, drawing from comprehensive taxonomic reviews. It includes representative examples highlighting geographic distributions and primary morphological distinctions; not all minor variants are listed to focus on well-established forms.| Subspecies | Authority and Year | Geographic Range | Key Morphological Differences |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. c. cossus (nominate) | Linnaeus, 1758 | Europe (including UK, Iberia to Urals), North Africa, western Asia to Siberia and Mongolia | Grayish-brown wings with distinct dark crosslines; wingspan 68–96 mm; variable polymorphism in spotting; standard genitalia with elongate transtilla processes.[10] |
| C. c. albescens | Kitt, 1925 | Iberian Peninsula (Spain, possibly Portugal) | Paler wings with blurred, lighter forewing patterns; smaller overall size compared to nominate form.[10] |
| C. c. chinensis | Rothschild, 1912 | Eastern Asia (China: Shandong, Shaanxi provinces; Korea, Japan) | Darker wing bases; proposed as a distinct species in some analyses due to genitalia differences, but retained as subspecies in catalogs; associated with eastern host plants.[2][9] |
| C. c. uralicus | Seitz, 1912 | Southern Urals, NW Kazakhstan, southern Russia (Volga region) | Smaller stature; brownish wings with reduced spotting; shorter transtilla processes in male genitalia distinguishing it from western populations.[10] |
| C. c. araraticus | Teich, 1896 | Caucasus region (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, NE Turkey, NW Iran) | Subtle variations in wing line intensity; no major genitalia differences from nominate, but geographic isolation supports subspecies status.[9] |
| C. c. kossai | Wiltshire, 1957 | Middle East (Iraq, southern Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria) | Gray wings with fine dark lines; minimal morphological divergence from adjacent forms, but distinct in arid-adapted populations.[9] |
| C. c. tianshanus | Hua et al., 1990 | Central Asia (Tian Shan mountains: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, NW China, N Afghanistan) | Larger size; paler dorsal markings on larvae; adapted to high-altitude steppes.[9] |
