About Zygaena angelicae Ochsenheimer, 1808
Zygaena angelicae, commonly known as the slender Scotch burnet, is a moth species belonging to the Zygaenidae family. It is distributed across Central Europe, ranging from Greece to southern Germany and Thuringia; in Southeastern Europe, it occurs in mountainous regions at elevations between 1000 and 2100 meters, and occupies chalk grassland habitat. This species has blue-black or green-black forewings with strongly rounded inner angles. The forewings bear five or six red spots, two of which are always positioned close together. In five-spotted individuals, the spots on the underside of the wings are connected by a red stripe, while six-spotted individuals have a large red patch in this area instead. The black margin along the red hindwings is wide. Compared to the related species Zygaena transalpina, the tip of Z. angelicae's antennal club has less white coloring, and the white may be completely absent. The wingspan of Zygaena angelicae ranges from 30 to 33 mm. Adults produce one generation per year, and are active in flight from July to mid-August, when they feed on flowers. The larvae feed primarily on Coronilla coronata, and sometimes feed on Securigera varia; it is possible they also feed on Lotus corniculatus. This species overwinters in its larval stage. Larvae can be found starting in September, and remain active through overwintering until June of the following year.
