Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar
Tyria jacobaeae (caterpillar)
This boldly banded caterpillar lives on ragwort and related plants in open grassland, dunes, pastures, and disturbed ground. It feeds on leaves and flowers, storing the plant’s toxic alkaloids in its body. The black-and-yellow stripes act as a warning to birds and other predators. Crowding on a food plant can lead to rapid defoliation and even cannibalism when food runs short.
- Type
- Venom
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar
- Cinnabar Moth Pupa
- Cinnabar Moth