Owl butterflies

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Icon tools.svg

This article has been registered in the quality assurance biology for improvement due to formal or content-related deficiencies . This is done in order to bring the quality of the biology articles to an acceptable level. Please help improve this article! Articles that are not significantly improved can be deleted if necessary.

Read the more detailed information in the minimum requirements for biology articles .

Owl butterflies
Great-headed bark owl (Acronicta megacephala)

Great-headed bark owl ( Acronicta megacephala )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Superordinate : New winged wing (Neoptera)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Subordination : Glossata
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Owl butterflies
Scientific name
Noctuidae
Latreille , 1809
Brass owl ( Diachrysia chrysitis )
Caterpillar Ampfereule ( Acronicta rumicis )
Agate owl caterpillar ( Phlogophora meticulosa )
Dark green lichen owl ( Cryphia algae )
Euxoa temera
Check day owl ( Callistege mi )
Chi owl
Autumn army worm caterpillar ( Spodoptera frugiperda )

The owl butterflies (Erebidae and Noctuidae), often referred to simply as owls , are two very species-rich families of butterflies . Although there are species of all sizes, shapes, colors, and ways of life, the majority of owl butterflies are plainly colored, large, and robust.

features

butterfly

The moths reach a wingspan of 14 to 300 millimeters, with most European species having a wingspan of around 20 to 60 millimeters. Your body is elongated and of medium to strong build. Their forewings vary from narrow to broad. The wing base color is usually light or dark brown, reddish, dark, gray or green. The pattern is very different and varies greatly within the same species. The various components of the pattern are always the same. The pattern consists primarily of several transverse lines, which are mostly wavy. The most dominant and most frequent transverse lines divide the wings into three roughly equal parts: basal or inner field, middle field and fringe or outer field. In the middle there are usually two to three spots ( blemishes ), which can be differently pronounced and shaped. In addition, as in the border area, another cross line can run in the midfield. However, numerous species deviate more or less strongly from this “basic plan”. The species of the subfamily Catocalinae and Plusiinae carry z. B. a fourth flaw, with the latter the patterns are also drawn with a metallic shimmer. Several genera of the Acontiinae also differ from the basic pattern. Species that live in grass in particular have a longitudinal pattern instead of transverse lines, which better adapts them to their surroundings. The hind wings are broadly rounded and about the same to slightly wider than the forewings. Their basic color is monochrome and weakly drawn. There are also species with strong colors on the hind wings, which are supposed to scare off enemies when the moths take off, e.g. B. the Red Ribbon ( Catocala nupta ). The forewings mostly have 12 wing veins with one anal vein (1b), sometimes there is also a second (1a and 1b). The hind wings of almost all species have 8 wing veins with two anal veins (1a and 1b), some species have 9 veins.

Their antennae are of medium length and reach about 0.5 to 0.8 times the length of the forewings. The females have thread-like antennae, the males they are thread-like, toothed or combed. Some species have tympanic organs on the metathorax . In addition to the compound eyes , the animals also have point eyes ( Ocelli ). Your maxillary palps are poorly developed, the labial palps are well developed. The proboscis is fully developed in most species , but there are also species with reduced or absent proboscis.

Caterpillars

The caterpillars of the individual subfamilies are, like the moths, sometimes very different. Some types, such as B. those of the genus Acronycta , which also have stinging hairs , have long to extremely long hairs, but most species of owl butterflies have only isolated, short hairs. Most caterpillars in this family, like the other caterpillars usually, have four pairs of ventral feet and a pusher . With some owl butterfly species (e.g. Catocalinae and Plusiinae ), however, the first or the first two pairs of legs are missing or are reduced. These can either only be missing in the young caterpillars or in all stages.

Way of life

The animals are predominantly nocturnal or crepuscular. Only a few species, such as B. the brown day owl ( Euclidia glyphica ) and several species of the Plusiinae are diurnal. Some species can still be seen flying in winter when temperatures are around freezing point.

Most of the caterpillars feed sitting on the plants. But there are also miners and those who feed on roots underground. Like the moths, they are predominantly nocturnal. Almost all herbaceous plants, deciduous trees and shrubs belong to their food spectrum , only a few species feed on conifers . There are also predatory caterpillars, which in addition to vegetable food also attack other caterpillars and are even cannibalistic .

Harmful effect

There are numerous species that can occur as pests in agriculture and forest, such as the pine owl ( Panolis flammea ).

Disease-transmitting species

In the Southeast Asian species Calyptra eustrigata , Calyptra minuticornis , Calyptra orthograpta , Calyptra labilis and Calyptra thalictri the genus Calyptra ( Calpinae ) is proboscis transformed into a proboscis and can penetrate up to seven millimeters deep into the skin of the host animal. These species of butterflies feed on the blood of certain mammals and humans. They can therefore also be used as vectors to transmit various pathogens mechanically, see also Paths of Infection and Virus Infection .

Danger

In the Hawaiian Islands , some species of owl butterfly have developed pronounced endemism . The destruction of the mostly very small areas of distribution (partly directly by humans, partly by introduced rabbits) led to the extinction of several taxa , including Agrotis crinigera , Agrotis fasciata , Agrotis kerri , Agrotis laysanensis , Agrotis photophila , Agrotis procellaris , Helicoverpa confusa , Helicoverpa minuta , Hypena laysanensis , Hypena newelli , Hypena plagiota , Hypena senicula . The case of Agrotis laysanensis is particularly noteworthy , as the disappearance of this moth on Laysan was one of the main causes of the extinction of the Laysan warbler .

Systematics

Around 35,000 species of owl butterflies have been described worldwide to date. A much larger number of species is assumed. About 640 species are native to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In Europe, the owl butterfly family is represented with over 1,800 species and subspecies in 36 subfamilies with a total of 343 genera. The following overview according to the systematics of Fauna Europaea only lists the subfamilies represented in Europe with a few selected species.

Phylogenetics

In 2006 Lafontaine and Fibiger presented a revised classification of the Noctuoidea, in which some groups in the family category (e.g. Lymantriidae , Arctiidae ) were placed on the subfamily level and assigned to the Erebidae .

Subfamilies and selected species

swell

literature

  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 5: Moths III (Sesiidae, Arctiidae, Noctuidae). Ulmer, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-8001-3481-0 .
  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 6: Moths IV (Owls, (Noctuidae) 2nd part). Ulmer, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-8001-3482-9 .
  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 7: Moths V (Owls (Noctuidae) 3rd part). Ulmer, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-8001-3500-0 .
  • Manfred Koch : We determine butterflies. Volume 3: Owls. 2nd, expanded edition. Neumann, Leipzig / Radebeul 1972, DNB 760072930 .
  • Bernard Skinner: Color Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles. Penguin UK 1999, ISBN 0-670-87978-9 .
  • Malcolm J. Scoble: The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1995, ISBN 978-0-19-854952-9 .
  • Arno Bergmann: The large butterflies of Central Germany. Volume 4/1: Owls. Distribution, forms and communities. Urania-Verlag, Jena 1954, DNB 450378373 .
  • Arno Bergmann: The large butterflies of Central Germany. Volume 4/2: Owls. Distribution, forms and communities. Urania-Verlag, Jena 1954, DNB 450378381 .
  • Michael Fibiger: Noctuinae I. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 1. Entomological Press, Sorø 1990, ISBN 87-89430-01-8 .
  • Michael Fibiger: Noctuinae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 2. Entomological Press, Sorø 1993, ISBN 87-89430-02-6 .
  • Michael Fibiger: Noctuinae III. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 3. Entomological Press, Sorø 1997, ISBN 87-89430-05-0 .
  • H. Hacker, Lázló Ronkay, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae I.- Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 4. Entomological Press, Sorø 2002, ISBN 87-89430-07-7 .
  • Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 5. Entomological Press, Sorø 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9 .
  • Gábor Ronkay, Lázló Ronkay: Cuculliinae I. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 6. Entomological Press, Sorø 1994, ISBN 87-89430-03-4 .
  • Gábor Ronkay, Lázló Ronkay: Cuculliinae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 7. Entomological Press, Sorø 1995, ISBN 87-89430-04-2 .
  • Alberto Zilli, Lázló Ronkay, Michael Fibiger: Apameini. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 8. Entomological Press, Sorø 2005, ISBN 87-89430-09-3 .
  • Barry Goater, Lázló Ronkay, Michael Fibiger: Catocalinae & Plusiinae. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 10. Entomological Press, Sorø 2003, ISBN 87-89430-08-5 .
  • J. Donald Lafontaine, Michael Fibiger: Revised higher classification of the Noctuoidea (Lepidoptera). In: Canadian Entomologist. No. 138, Ottawa 2006, ISSN  0008-347X , pp. 610-635.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ AJ RADFORD and J. PAUL: 7.17 Non-venomous arthropods ( Memento of March 28, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ H. Bänziger: Skin-piercing blood-sucking moths I: ecological and ethological studies on Calpe eustrigata (Lepid., Noctuidae). In: Acta tropica. Volume 32, Number 2, 1975, pp. 125-144, ISSN  0001-706X . PMID 240258 .
  3. ^ H. Bänziger: Skin-piercing blood-sucking moths II: Studies on a further 3 adult Calyptra [Calpe] sp. (Lepid., Noctuidae). In: Acta tropica. Volume 36, Number 1, March 1979, pp. 23-37, ISSN  0001-706X . PMID 35931 .
  4. ^ Hawaii's Extinct Species - Insects Bishop Museum - Hawaii Extinct Insects.
  5. ↑ Noctuidae. Lepiforum e. V., accessed January 19, 2007 .
  6. ↑ Noctuidae. Fauna Europaea, accessed January 19, 2007 .
  7. ^ J. Donald Lafontaine, Michael Fibiger: Revised higher classification of the Noctuoidea (Lepidoptera) . In: Canadian Entomologist. No. 138, Ottawa 2006, ISSN  0008-347X , pp. 610-635.

Web links

Commons : Owl Butterfly  - Collection of images, videos and audio files