Brown late summer ground owl

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Brown late summer ground owl
Brown late summer ground owl (Xestia xanthographa)

Brown late summer ground owl ( Xestia xanthographa )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Noctuinae
Genre : Xestia
Type : Brown late summer ground owl
Scientific name
Xestia xanthographa
( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775)
Late summer brown ground owl caterpillar
Clearly recognizable yellow kidney blemishes on a specimen of the brown late summer ground owl

The brown late summer ground owl ( Xestia xanthographa ), also reddish brown ground owl , is a butterfly from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae). The specific epithet is made up of the Greek words xanthos for "yellow" and graphein for "to write".

features

The moths reach a wingspan of 29 to 40 millimeters. According to other sources, only 32 to 35 millimeters. The color of the forewings is very variable, all intermediate levels from light to dark gray but also rust to dark brown are possible. Usually there is a yellowish kidney defect. The hind wings are monotonous gray.

The caterpillars, which are difficult to distinguish from the caterpillars of Xestia sextrigata , have a characteristic white dorsal stripe and, in later stages of development, black lines over the secondary dorsal lines. They are brown to gray in color and white a dark and a light band on the side. They grow up to 33 millimeters.

Similar species

distribution and habitat

The brown late summer ground owl has a Mediterranean-Asian distribution and is common in Europe . Outside of Europe, the species is found in the Caucasus , Transcaucasus , Central Asia in the Uzbek provinces of Fargʻona and Tashkent , Armenia , Turkmenistan in Turkey, and Algeria and Tunisia . The species was introduced in North America. Their habitat includes all open and grassy landscapes from parks to gardens, roadsides, grasslands , wet meadows , reed meadows and ruderal areas .

Behavior and way of life

The moths fly from August and September and can often be seen sucking on rotting fruits and tree sap. They are just as easy to attract with a liquid mixed with wine and sugar. The caterpillars are nocturnal and overwinter and can be found from February to May after hibernation and from October in autumn. They live on various grasses and herbaceous plants such as sweet grasses (Poaceae) but also on dock ( Rumex ), plantain ( Plantago ), chickweed ( Stellaria media ), cowslip ( Primula vulgaris ), annual bluegrass ( Poa annua ), willows ( Salix ) and Hawthorn ( Crataegus ). Pupation takes place in an earth cocoon .

status

The species is one of the most common owl butterflies (Noctuidae) in Germany . Since the moths do not come to light often , the so frequent distribution of the species is only confirmed by caterpillar finds. Hundreds of them can often be found in the meadows at night in spring.

Synonyms

The literature distinguishes several synonyms.

  • Rhyacia xanthographa Schiffermüller
  • Agrotis xanthographa Schiffermüller
  • Agrotis tetragona Haworth , 1809
  • Agrotis budensis Freyer , 1839
  • Agrotis elutior Alphéraky, 1887
  • Xestia trumani ( Smith , 1903)
  • Xestia precepuina Rothschild , 1914
  • Xestia almohada Wagner, 1918

swell

  1. ↑ a b c d BK Makro , accessed April 25, 2015
  2. ↑ a b c d e Axel Steiner, Ulrich Ratzel, Morton Top-Jensen, Michael Fibiger: Die Nachtfalter Deutschlands - Ein Feldführer. Bugbook Publishing, 2014, ISBN 9783000438622 , p. 720.
  3. ↑ a b Michael Fibiger: Noctuinae II . In: WG Tremewan (Ed.): Noctuidae Europaeae . 1st edition. tape 2 . Entomological Press, Sorø 1993, ISBN 87-89430-02-6 , p. 173 (English).
  4. ↑ a b c d Nature Butterflies , accessed April 25, 2015
  5. ↑ Xestia xanthographa (DENIS & SCHIFFERMÜLLER, 1775). Lepiforum e. V .: Determination aid of the Lepiforum for the butterfly species found in Germany, Austria and Switzerland., Accessed on September 6, 2013 .
  6. ↑ a b Butterfly caterpillar , accessed April 25, 2015
  7. ↑ a b c d Butterflies and their ecology , accessed April 25, 2015
  8. ↑ euroleps.ch , accessed on April 25, 2015
  9. ↑ Natural Science Association Wuppertal e. V. , accessed April 25, 2015

Web links

Commons : Xestia xanthographa  - collection of images, videos and audio files