Bracken owl

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Bracken owl
Callopistria juventina.jpg

Bracken Owl ( Callopistria juventina )

Systematics
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Eriopinae
Genre : Callopistria
Type : Bracken owl
Scientific name
Callopistria juventina
( Stoll , 1782)

The bracken owl ( Callopistria juventina ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae).

features

butterfly

The wingspan of the moth is 33 to 36 millimeters. The forewings are characterized by a very attractive color spectrum, which includes purple, reddish, brown and yellow tones. While the middle field is mostly dark brown in color, reddish drawing elements emerge in the root and fringing areas. The inner transverse line is executed twice and often shimmers in a light pink shade. A large, yellowish spot can be seen near the apex . The ring flaws are small, narrow and have a light border. The pointed and whitish bordered kidney defects stand out more noticeably. The hind wings are colored gray-brown, the tint becoming darker towards the edge. There are clear tufts of hair on the thorax and abdomen and on the middle pair of legs. The feelers are curved.

Caterpillar and pupa

The caterpillars are usually greenish in color in the first larval stages. The adult caterpillar can also be brownish to purple-brown in color. It is characterized by dark, whitish or slightly yellowish lined, forward curved angular spots or crescent-shaped spots. The dark areas can also be missing, so that the caterpillars only have the two transverse stripes that are bent forward to different degrees. The finely drawn side line is white; in it lie the blackish stigmas. The rounded head is greenish or slightly reddish in color with a somewhat darker mesh pattern.

The relatively slim pupa is ocher yellow to light brown.

Geographical distribution and habitat

The species is distributed from Morocco through almost all of Europe. In the British Isles and Fennos Scandinavia , however, it only occurs as an immigrant . Further east, the distribution area extends through the temperate zones of Asia to China , Korea and Japan . The southern occurrence includes Turkey and northern Iran as well as Pakistan and Assam . The bracken owl can be found in deciduous and mixed as well as coniferous forests, provided that its forage plant is sufficiently available. In the Black Forest it rises up to 900 m.

Way of life

In Central Europe the species is univoltin , i.e. H. only one generation is formed each year, the adults of which fly from June to August. In the south of the distribution area, however, two generations are formed, the moths fly from May to August. The moths are nocturnal and appear occasionally in artificial light sources and often on bait . The nocturnal caterpillars feed exclusively on the leaves of the bracken ( Pteridium aquilinum ). It is noteworthy that they tolerate the toxic ingredients of the plant. These are mainly cyanogenic glycosides . The tannins also ingested with food primarily serve to protect the caterpillar, which therefore has an unpleasant or incompatible taste for predators. That is why it can occasionally be seen unprotected and undisturbed on the upper side of the host plant during the day, but mostly it rests on the underside of the leaves of its food plant. The angular pattern on the back of the green shape gives it an additional camouflage color. It lies in an egg-shaped web on the ground from autumn to the beginning of May of the following year and only pupates after it has hibernated.

Danger

In Germany, the bracken owl occurs in varying numbers and is classified as not endangered on the Red List of Endangered Species .

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Fibiger, Hermann Hacker: Amphipyrinae, Condicinae, Eriopinae, Xyleninae (part) . In: Michael Fibiger, László Ronkay, Barry Goater, Martin Honey (eds.): Noctuidae Europaeae . tape 9 . Entomological Press, Sorø 2007, ISBN 978-87-89430-11-9 (English).
  2. ↑ a b c Matti Ahola and Kimmo Silvonen: Larvae of Northern European Noctuidae. Vol. 2. 672 pp., 2008 ISBN 978-952-92-2888-1
  3. ↑ a b c d Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 .
  4. ↑ a b c Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . 1st edition. tape 6 . Moth IV. Noctuidae 2nd part. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1997, ISBN 3-8001-3482-9 .
  5. ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany . Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9 .

literature

  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . 1st edition. tape 6 . Moth IV. Noctuidae 2nd part. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1997, ISBN 3-8001-3482-9 .
  • Michael Fibiger, Hermann Hacker: Amphipyrinae, Condicinae, Eriopinae, Xyleninae (part) . In: Michael Fibiger, László Ronkay, Barry Goater, Martin Honey (eds.): Noctuidae Europaeae . tape 9 . Entomological Press, Sorø 2007, ISBN 978-87-89430-11-9 (English).

Web links

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