About Watsonarctia deserta Bartel, 1902
Watsonarctia is a monotypic moth genus in the subfamily Arctiinae, which was formally erected by Josef J. de Freina and Thomas Joseph Witt in 1984. The genus contains only one species: Watsonarctia deserta, commonly called the chaste pellicle. This species was first described by Max Bartel in 1902, under the name Watsonarctia deserta Bartel, 1902. Watsonarctia deserta is distributed across central and south-eastern Europe, southern Russia, and southern Siberia extending east to Lake Baikal. It can also be found in Asia Minor, Armenia, Azerbaijan, northern Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and the Xinjiang region of China. The wingspan of this moth measures 26–32 mm. The larvae of Watsonarctia deserta feed on species from the genera Asperula, Achillea and Galium, including the Galium species Galium verum and Galium odoratum.
