The caterpillar is also protected by warning colouration.At rest in bright light it is rather visible, but in a wood with low light it is well camouflaged.
The Scarlet Tiger Moth (Callimorpha dominula, formerly Panaxia dominula) is a colourful dayflying moth of Europe and the near East. It belongs to the tiger moth family, Arctiidae.
The caterpillars feed mostly on comfrey (Symphytum officinale). The moth imago flies by day, and has both cryptic colouring on the front wings, and warning colour on the hind wings. If disturbed it jinks the front wings forward to show the red warning flash on the hind wings.
It can occur in rare colour morphs, one with yellow hindwings and body and one with extended black on hindwings. Yellow, black and red are common warning colours in insects and other animals.
