Allophyes alfaroi

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Allophyes alfaroi
Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Psaphidinae
Genre : Allophyes
Type : Allophyes alfaroi
Scientific name
Allophyes alfaroi
Agenjo , 1951

Allophyes alfaroi is a butterfly from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae) that is only found on the Iberian Peninsula .

features

The moths have a wingspan of 36 to 48 millimeters and look very similar to the hawthorn owl ( Allophyes oxyacanthae ) that is very common in Europe . It also looks very similar to the species A. poweili , A. cretica and A. corsica , but has narrower forewings with a grayer and paler basic color, especially in the middle of the wing. The white mark on the tornus (inner corner) is wider and clearer. Other differences exist in the genitals of both sexes.

Similar species

Geographical distribution and habitat

Distribution of the species of the genus Allophyes in Europe, Allophyes alfaroi yellow

Allophyes alfaroi is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula and in a narrow strip north of the Pyrenees in France.

It prefers medium-dry to dry ( xerophilic ) forests, bushy areas and alluvial forests from the lowlands over the hilly country to the lower regions of the mountains. The moths can be found wherever the forage plants of the caterpillars grow. Allophyes alfaroi is widespread and flies in one generation (univoltin) from mid-October to mid-December. The moths are attracted in large numbers by light sources and sugary baits .

Way of life

The caterpillars feed on single hawthorn ( Crataegus monogyna ), blackthorn ( Prunus spinosa ), rock cherry ( Prunus mahaleb ) and other rose plants (Rosaceae). The eggs are laid on twigs near the buds of the food plants, which then overwinter. The caterpillars hatch from April to early May, right after the leaves have sprouted. Most of them rest during the day and eat at night. They are fully grown in May and June and pupate , after a similarly long prepupal phase as the hawthorn owl, in a stable cocoon in the ground, usually near the food plant.

Systematics

The systematics in the genus Allophyes has not been finally clarified, there are several species complexes. Allophyes alfaroi was first described as a species by Ramón Agenjo in 1951. Later, like Allophyes corsica , it was seen as a subspecies of the hawthorn owl ( A. oxyacanthae ), between which there is a geographically continuous transition. Allophyes alfaroi is today, based on genital examinations , seen as a species whose genitals differ well and without transitional forms from A. oxyacanthae and A. corsica .

literature

  • Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela & Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II . In: Michael Fibiger, Martin Honey (Ed.): Noctuidae Europaeae . tape 5 . Entomological Press, Sorø 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9 , pp. 275 (English).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela & Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II . In: Michael Fibiger, Martin Honey (Ed.): Noctuidae Europaeae . tape 5 . Entomological Press, Sorø 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9 (English). P. 275
  2. ^ "Allophyes alfaroi" Ag. en Cataluña (Lep.Phalaen,), 1953
  3. ↑ Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela & Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II . In: Michael Fibiger, Martin Honey (Ed.): Noctuidae Europaeae . tape 5 . Entomological Press, Sorø 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9 (English). P. 270

Web links

  • Allophyes alfaroi at Fauna Europaea. Retrieved October 28, 2014
  • Lepiforum
  • Ramón Agenjo: Dos nuevos Cucullinae españoles descubiertos en Burgos (Lep. Agrot.) . In: Instituto Espanol de Entemologia (ed.): Eos Revista española de entomología . tape 27 , no. 3-4 , 1951, pp. 409–424 (Spanish, bhl-europe.eu [PDF; accessed on October 28, 2014]).