Mugwort flower owl

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Mugwort flower owl
Protoschinia scutosa.jpg

Mugwort flower owl ( Protoschinia scutosa )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Heliothinae
Genre : Protoschinia
Type : Mugwort flower owl
Scientific name
Protoschinia scutosa
( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775)

The mugwort blossom owl ( Protoschinia scutosa ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the owl butterfly family (Noctuidae).

features

butterfly

The wingspan of the medium-sized moth is about 32 to 36 millimeters. The color of the forewings varies from brown-gray to black-gray. The midfield stands out in a striking whitish color. The wavy line is also colored whitish. Ring, kidney and cone blemishes are noticeably large and filled with black. On the whitish hind wings a large, black central spot and a broad, dark, sharply delimited fringe with an elongated, light spot can be seen.

Caterpillar, pupa

Adult caterpillars are colored green, show a blackish topline as well as dark bordered side stripes and large, black spots. The doll is slender, light brown in color and has four strong bristles on the short cremaster .

distribution and habitat

The distribution area of ​​the mugwort flower owl extends from North Africa across southern Europe, Asia Minor and across Central Asia to Mongolia and further to China , Japan and Korea . The species is also found in North America . It occasionally migrates north across the Alps , Pyrenees and Carpathians and has even been detected in Great Britain , Norway and Finland . The species mainly inhabits mugwort steppes, grassy heaths and warm slopes.

Way of life

Butterflies that migrated from the south do not reproduce north of the Alps, as the subsequent species cannot survive the cold winters in Central Europe. The entry is very different from year to year. In the 20th century , there were mass immigration in 1942 and 1953, respectively. Since then, immigration rates have fluctuated, mostly low. Two generations are formed in southern Europe in summer. The caterpillars feed mainly on the flowers and seeds of various plants, preferably Artemisia species ( Artemisia ), such as mugwort ( Artemisia vulgaris ), field mugwort ( Artemisia campestris ), broom mugwort ( Artemisia scoparia ), rowan ( Artemisia abrotanum ) and German Tarragon ( Artemisia dracunculus ). The species overwinters as a pupa .

Danger

The mugwort flower owl flies in variable numbers from year to year as a migrant butterfly to Germany and is listed on the Red List of Endangered Species in Category M (Irrgast).

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 .
  2. ↑ a b 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 .
  3. ↑ E. Urbahn: Scutosa discoveries in 1942 (Lep Noct..) Entomological magazine Frankfurt, 57, 1943
  4. ^ G. Warnecke: The entry of the Melicleptria scutosa ship. (Lep. Noct.) In 1953 Entomological Journal Frankfurt, 64, 1954
  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 .

Web links

Commons : Mugwort Flower Owl  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files