Head to head
Six-spot Burnet vs Cinnabar Moth
Six-spot Burnet
VS Cinnabar Moth
The six-spot burnet and cinnabar moth are two day-flying European moths with crimson-and-dark warning colours, both of which are distasteful to predators.
| Six-spot Burnet | Cinnabar Moth | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Zygaena filipendulae | Tyria jacobaeae |
| Wings | Metallic green-black forewings with six bright crimson spots, and crimson hindwings with a dark border | Dark grey-black forewings marked with crimson stripes and spots, and crimson hindwings |
| Flight | Flies in daylight in summer, usually slowly, and is easy to spot on flowers in sunny grassland | Flies in daylight, which is unusual for a moth, and is often seen on ragwort in summer |
| Defence | Makes cyanide-containing chemicals in its body that make it poisonous to predators | Stores toxic chemicals from ragwort in its body, making it distasteful to predators |
| Caterpillar food | Bird's-foot trefoil | Ragwort and groundsel |
| Caterpillar | A green caterpillar that spins a papery yellow cocoon on a grass stem | Banded bright orange and black, feeding together in groups |
| Range | Flower-rich grassland, dunes, and sea cliffs across Europe and parts of western Asia | Europe and western Asia, with introduced populations in Australia, New Zealand, and North America |
| Conservation status | Not Evaluated globally, though widespread and locally common | Not Evaluated globally, though it has declined in parts of Britain |
Six-spot Burnet vs Cinnabar Moth: common questions
Why are both moths brightly coloured?
The bright crimson-and-dark colours are a warning that they taste bad or are poisonous, which predators learn to avoid.
Which one makes cyanide?
The six-spot burnet, which makes cyanide-containing chemicals in its body.
Which one eats ragwort?
The cinnabar moth, whose banded caterpillars feed on ragwort and groundsel and store its toxins.