Strophingia ericae

Strophingia ericae (Curtis, 1835) Feeds on In Bulgaria, we collected adults on Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull., which is a confirmed host plant (Hodkinson 1981). Distribution General distribution. Europe. Distribution in Bulgaria (Fig. 44 b). Material examined: PBS. Notes New record for Bulgaria. Strophingia ericae is widespread in western, northern and central Europe (Lauterer 1976, Hodkinson 1981, Ossiannilsson 1992, Serbina et al. 2020, Seljak 2020). In Bulgaria, however, it is restricted to the Strandzha Mountains in the south-east of the country, the only region in the country where its host plant, Calluna vulgaris, occurs (Assyov et al. 2012). The Strandzha heaths are a habitat of conservation importance (Gussev 2015), where Calluna vulgaris occurs together with Erica arborea, the host plant of Strophingia cinereae, which has also been recorded there (see above). Diagnosis Adult (Fig. 44 a) and fifth-instar immature. Hodkinson (1981), Ossiannilsson (1992).