The Mediterranean tiger moth is a beautiful moth. In Malta it is active from September to late October – although in other countries it can be active as early as in August.

It has a tessellated pattern made up of black shapes on a light pink background but this background varies across populations from pinkish white to pink.

Like most moths, the tiger moth is nocturnal. It is attracted to lights but often keeps flying around the source of light without stopping and it is difficult to observe its colours and patterns while flying.

It is attracted to lights but often keeps flying around the source of light without stopping

With luck you could find one resting during the day and since tiger moths rely on their camouflage for their safety, it would probably give you a chance to look at it closely and observe its intricate wing pattern.

In Maltese the tiger moth is known as żarżur, meaning the one that makes a buzzing sound, a reference to the sound the male makes while flying.

The species is present in southern Europe and western North Africa. Other species of tiger moths can be found throughout the rest of Europe.

The caterpillar is brown and covered with brown hair. It feeds mostly on nettles, borage and various species of grasses.

The females lay eggs in autumn on plants that start to grow after the rains. The caterpillar is fully grown by the following spring. It uses its hair to build a cocoon in which it lives for some time before it turns into a pupa.

The pupa survives the hot dry summer and slowly changes into a winged adult which emerges when the air starts to cool after summer.

In fact, it is usually seen after the first autumn rains.

In the Maltese islands we find two other closely related moths. The ruby tiger is an endemic subspecies known as ir-rubin.

The crimson-speckled flunky is another beautiful moth found in Africa, southern Europe, central and southern Asia as well as in Australia. In Maltese it is aptly called is-sbejħa.

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