Cossus cossus

{{short description|Species of moth}} {{Speciesbox | name = Goat moth | image = Cossus cossus01.jpg | taxon = Cossus cossus | authority = (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonyms = *''Phalaena cossus'' Linnaeus, 1758 *''Bombyx unguiculatus'' Fabricius, 1793 *''Cossus ligniperda'' Fabricius, 1794 *''Cossus balcanicus'' Lederer, 1863 *''Cossus cossus stygianus'' Stichel, 1908 *''Cossus cossus'' ab. ''subnigra'' O. Schultz, 1911 *''Cossus cossus'' f. ''aceris'' Greip, 1918 *''Cossus cossus'' f. ''nigra'' Dietze, 1919 *''Cossus cossus altensis'' B. Hua, 1990 *''Cossus araraticus'' Teich, 1896 *''Cossus giganteus'' Schwingenschuss, 1938 *''Cossus lucifer'' Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 *''Cossus chinensis'' Rothschild, 1912 *''Cossus cosso'' Püngeler, 1898 }} '''''Cossus cossus''''', the '''goat moth''', is a moth of the family Cossidae. It is found in Northern Africa, Asia and Europe.

== Biology == This is a large heavy moth with a wingspan of 68–96 mm. The wings are greyish brown and marked with fine dark cross lines. The moth flies from April to August depending on the location.

The caterpillars have a red/purple stripe across the back and a black head. They reach a length of 9–10 cm. The caterpillars feed in the trunks and branches of a wide variety of trees (see list below), taking three to five years to mature. The caterpillar holes can be found low on the stem (maximum 1.0–1.5 m above the ground). When ready to pupate the caterpillar leaves the tree to find a suitable spot.

The species prefer humid environments. Both the larva and moth have a smell reminiscent of goat, hence its name.<ref name="Ford">{{cite book|last=Ford|first=R.L.E.|date=1963|publisher=Frederick Warne|place=London|title=The Observer's Book of Larger Moths|page=217}}</ref>

==As a food== Pliny reported in ''Natural History'' that a grub which he gives the name ''cossus'' was considered a Roman delicacy after it was fed with flour. Some writers have equated this with ''Cossus cossus'', but Pliny specifies that his ''cossus'' is found in oak trees, which makes this identification unlikely. Pliny's ''cossus'' is more likely to have been the larva of the beetle ''Cerambyx heros''. <ref>F. S. Bodenheimer, [https://books.google.com/books?id=sdboCAAAQBAJ&dq=Cossus+cossus+%22flour%22&pg=PA42 ''Insects as Human Food: A Chapter of the Ecology of Man''], Springer, November 27, 2013, {{ISBN|9789401761598}}</ref>

==Recorded food plants== {| | *''Alnus'' *''Betula'' *''Castanea'' *''Citrus'' *''Cydonia'' *''Fagus'' | *''Fraxinus'' *''Juglans'' *''Malus'' *''Olea'' *''Populus'' *''Prunus'' | *''Pyrus'' *''Quercus'' *''Salix'' *''Sorbus'' *''Ulmus'' *''Vitis'' | |} It has a preference for ''Populus'', ''Quercus''{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} and ''Salix''.

==Taxonomy== ''Cossus balcanicus'' Lederer, 1863 from Bulgaria is probably a hybrid between ''C. cossus'' and ''Lamellocossus terebrus'' (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775).

==Subspecies== *''Cossus cossus cossus'' *''Cossus cossus albescens'' Kitt, 1925 (Kazakhstan, Russia) *''Cossus cossus araraticus'' Teich, 1896 (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran) *''Cossus cossus armeniacus'' Rothschild, 1912 (Turkey) *''Cossus cossus chinensis'' Rothschild, 1912 (China: Shaanxi) *''Cossus cossus dauricus'' Yakovlev, 2007 (Russia: Transbaikal) *''Cossus cossus dersu'' Yakovlev, 2009 (Russia: southern Ussuri, Primorsky Krai) *''Cossus cossus deserta'' Daniel, 1953 (Mongolia) *''Cossus cossus gueruenensis'' Friedel, 1977 (Asia Minor) *''Cossus cossus kopetdaghi'' Yakovlev, 2009 (Turkmenistan) *''Cossus cossus kossai'' Wiltshire, 1957 (Iraq, Jordan) *''Cossus cossus lucifer'' Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 (Tibet) *''Cossus cossus mongolicus'' Erschoff, 1882 (Mongolia) *''Cossus cossus omrana'' Wiltshire, 1957 (Iraq, Iran) *''Cossus cossus tianshanus'' Hua, Chou, Fang & Chen, 1990 (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan) *''Cossus cossus uralicus'' Seitz, 1912 (Uralsk)

==Gallery== <gallery> File:Cossus cossus.jpg|Caterpillar File:Caterpillars cossus cossus.jpg|Caterpillars of different age on willow wood File:Weidenbohrer-Unterseite.jpg|Caterpillar (underside; head to the right) File:Cossus cossus caterpillar.png|Illustrated caterpillar File:Weide mit Cossus cossus.jpg|Willow with caterpillars File:Rups van een wilgenhoutvlinder.JPG|Caterpillars File:Cossus cossus exuvia.JPG|Pupal case File:Britishentomologyvolume5Plate60.jpg|Illustration from John Curtis's ''British Entomology'' Volume 5 File:Cossus cossus pupa.png|Illustrated pupa File:Cossus Cossus.png|Illustrated adult File:Cossus cossus1.jpg|Mounted File:Cossus cossus - Weidenbohrer Raupe 01.webm|Caterpillar </gallery>

==References== {{Reflist}} *{{cite book |title=Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles |last=Skinner |first=Bernard |year=1984 |publisher=Viking Press |isbn=0-670-80354-5 |page=3}} *{{cite book |title=Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland |last=Waring |first=Paul |author2=Martin Townsend |year=2003 |publisher=British Wildlife Publishing |isbn=0-9531399-2-1 |page=23}} *This information, or an older version, was partially obtained from De Vlinderstichting - '''Vlindernet''' – [http://www.vlindernet.nl/vlindersoort.php?vlinderid=10329 http://www.vlindernet.nl/] (geraadpleegd 18-05-2017).

==External links== {{Commons category}} {{Wikispecies}} *[https://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=2097 Goat Moth at UKMoths] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304204614/http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=439949 Fauna Europaea] *[http://naturedocumentaries.org/9778/red-goat-moth-cossus-cossus-caterpillar-searching-pupation-site/ A video of a red goat moth caterpillar searching for a pupation site] {{Taxonbar|from=Q278629}}

cossus Category:Moths described in 1758 Category:Moths of Japan Category:Moths of Europe Category:Moths of Asia Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus