Monkshood hump owl

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Monkshood hump owl
Monkshood hump owl (Euchalcia variabilis) in paralysis

Monkshood hump owl ( Euchalcia variabilis ) in paralysis

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Plusiinae
Genre : Euchalcia
Type : Monkshood hump owl
Scientific name
Euchalcia variabilis
( Piller , 1783)
Preparation of a monkshood hump owl

The monkshood hump owl ( Euchalcia variabilis ), also known as monkshood metal owl, is a butterfly ( moth ) from the owl butterfly family (Noctuidae).

features

Imago

The Monkshood Hump Owl is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of 34 to 42 millimeters. The forewings are gray-brown to dark brown, sometimes tinted olive green. A narrow pink band and several light transverse lines, which run almost parallel to the outer edge, are characteristic of the species. Ring and cone flaws are often indistinct and thinly lightly bordered. In contrast to many representatives of the gold owls (Plusiinae), the monkshood humped owl has no shiny metallic signs on its wings. The hind wings are gray-brown. There is a hump-shaped tuft of hair on the head. The body of the butterfly is furry and has other smaller tufts of hair. The trunk is well developed.

Caterpillar

The caterpillars reach a length of up to 35 millimeters and are pale yellow with black points in the first stages. When grown up they are green in basic color and have many hair-bearing black point warts and a distinct yellow side stripe. The stigmas are black, as are the two pairs of belly legs.

Doll

The pupa is blackish green with a long sheath and stem-shaped cremaster without thorns.

Synonyms

  • ( Phytometra variabilis )
  • ( Plusia variabilis )

distribution and habitat

The species is common in Europe , but rare in many areas. It prefers southern regions and is also found in the Alpine foothills and the Alps , where it can be found up to over 2,300 meters. The habitat stretches from the edges of deciduous forests and stream banks to parklands, gardens and bushy slopes.

Way of life

The monkshood hump owl is nocturnal and also flies to artificial light sources . The young caterpillars overwinter very small. After overwintering, the caterpillars like to hide between the folded, slightly wilted leaves of the forage plant during feeding breaks.

Flight and caterpillar times

The moths mainly fly in one generation from June to August. The caterpillars can be found from August. They overwinter and pupate mostly in May of the following year.

Food of the caterpillars

The caterpillars feed on the leaves of various monkshood species, such as black monkshood ( Aconitum variegatum ) and wolf monkshood ( Aconitum lycoctonum ) as well as larkspurs ( Delphinium ) and Akeleiblättriger meadow rue ( Thalictrum aquilegifolium ).

Danger

The species occurs in Germany only in a few federal states, is on the pre-warning list in Baden-Württemberg, extremely rarely with geographical restrictions in Bavaria, and threatened with extinction in Thuringia and Lower Saxony.

swell

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c 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 c d Manfred Koch: We determine butterflies. Volume 3: Owls. 2nd, expanded edition. Neumann, Leipzig / Radebeul 1972, DNB 760072930 .
  3. ↑ Heiko Bellmann: The new Kosmos butterfly guide. Butterflies, caterpillars and forage plants. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-440-09330-1 , p. 206.
  4. ↑ Red List

Web links

Commons : Monkshood Hump Owl ( Euchalcia variabilis )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files