Head to head
Jersey Tiger vs Cinnabar Moth
Jersey Tiger
VS Cinnabar Moth
The Jersey tiger and cinnabar moth are two day-flying European moths that use bold colours to warn predators, but they use them in different ways.
| Jersey Tiger | Cinnabar Moth | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Euplagia quadripunctaria | Tyria jacobaeae |
| Wings | Forewings striped black and cream, with orange-red hindwings revealed when disturbed | Dark grey-black forewings marked with crimson stripes and spots, and crimson hindwings |
| Flight | Flies in daylight as well as at night, and often visits flowers in the afternoon sun | Flies in daylight, which is unusual for a moth, and is often seen on ragwort in summer |
| Caterpillars | Feed on a wide range of low plants | Banded bright orange and black, feeding together in groups on ragwort and groundsel |
| Defence | Camouflaged forewings, then a sudden flash of bright hindwings as a warning | Stores toxic chemicals from ragwort in its body, making it distasteful to predators |
| Range | Southern and western Europe and parts of western Asia, with a foothold in southwest England and Jersey | Europe and western Asia, with introduced populations in Australia, New Zealand, and North America |
| Claim to fame | Gathers by the thousand in the cool, damp valleys of Rhodes, the Valley of the Butterflies | Introduced overseas to help control ragwort |
| Conservation status | Not Evaluated globally, though protected under European Union nature law | Not Evaluated globally, though it has declined in parts of Britain |
Jersey Tiger vs Cinnabar Moth: common questions
Which moth flashes orange hindwings?
The Jersey tiger, which reveals bright orange-red hindwings when disturbed.
Which moth eats ragwort?
The cinnabar moth, whose banded caterpillars feed on ragwort and groundsel and store its toxins.
Where do the Jersey tiger and cinnabar moth live?
The Jersey tiger lives in southern and western Europe and western Asia, while the cinnabar moth lives across Europe and western Asia and has been introduced to Australia, New Zealand, and North America.