Appearance
The upperside of the Hepialus humuli female.
Hepialus humuli is one of the largest micro moths in Europe.
- Female: reaches a wingspan of 80mm
- Male: is usually slightly smaller
Both sexes:
- sit with their long, narrow wings held roof-like along the body while at rest
- have very short and thin antennae
Colouring and markings
On continental Europe and mainland Britain the sexes of Hepialus humuli are very different:
- Females: pale buff with a series of pale pink markings on the forewing
- Males: silvery white without any markings
The subspecies Hepialus humuli thulensis occurs on the Shetlands and Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic.
- Females: darker hind wings than normal females, but are otherwise similar
- Males: vary greatly:
- Some are identical to males from the mainland
- Some are superficially identical to females
- Others are virtually any variation in between
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Why does this variation occur?
The reasons for the extraordinary variation seen for Hepialus humuli thulensis males are not fully understood. But it seems likely that at least 3 different evolutionary processes are involved. Find out more.