Handmaid
Dysauxes ancilla
Dysauxes ancilla, the handmaid, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1767 12th edition of Systema Naturae.
29
Countries
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysauxes_ancilla
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Lepidoptera
Family
Erebidae
Genus
Dysauxes
Handmaid belongs to the family Erebidae, order Lepidoptera, within the Insecta class.
Species Profile
Dysauxes ancilla, the handmaid, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1767 12th edition of Systema Naturae. It lives in southern and central Europe, through Turkey and Armenia, over the Ural Mountains and up to the Caucasus.
The Handmaid (Dysauxes ancilla) is critically endangered primarily due to severe habitat loss and fragmentation of its specialized grassland and heathland ecosystems. Agricultural intensification, urban development, and changes in land management practices have dramatically reduced the availability of suitable breeding and foraging habitats. Climate change may further exacerbate these pressures by altering the distribution and phenology of host plants essential for larval development.
Key Facts
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
The Handmaid (Dysauxes ancilla) is critically endangered primarily due to severe habitat loss and fragmentation of its specialized grassland and heathland ecosystems. Agricultural intensification, urban development, and changes in land management practices have dramatically reduced the availability of suitable breeding and foraging habitats. Climate change may further exacerbate these pressures by altering the distribution and phenology of host plants essential for larval development.
Agricultural intensification
Habitat loss and fragmentation
Urban development and infrastructure expansion
Changes in land management practices
Climate change impacts on host plant availability
Found in 29 Countries
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Handmaid (Dysauxes ancilla). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/handmaid