Gothica kitten owl

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Gothica kitten owl
Orthosia gothica2.jpg

Gothica kitten-owl ( Orthosia (Semiophora) gothica )

Systematics
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Hadeninae
Genre : Orthosia
Subgenus : Semiophora
Type : Gothica kitten owl
Scientific name
Orthosia (Semiophora) gothica
( Linnaeus , 1758)
Gothica kitten-owl caterpillar

The Gothica kitten owl ( Orthosia gothica ), also called brownish gray spring owl , Gothic owl or gray spring owl , is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of owl butterflies (Noctuidae).

features

butterfly

The wingspan of the moth is 33 to 39 millimeters. The color spectrum of the forewings is very large and ranges from violet-gray or purple-brown to brown-gray and yellow-gray. The deep black field which, starting from the inner edge of the kidney blemishes, encloses the ring blemishes in an almost rectangular manner is the most characteristic feature of the butterflies and resembles the Hebrew letter Nun , which is why the species also bears the English name Hebrew Character and the Dutch name Nunvlinder . A short black longitudinal line runs inwards from the outer, bright transverse line. The wavy line stands out whitish from the background. The hind wings are indistinguishable gray-brown.

Egg, caterpillar, pupa

The hemispherical egg is colored gray and shows many longitudinal ribs. The central spot and the band are dark red. The caterpillars have a yellow-green color, small yellow dots, narrow white dorsal and side dorsal lines, as well as very broad, white, sharply delimited lateral stripes and whitish stigmas . The red-brown doll has two downwardly curved tips on the cremaster .

Similar species

Outwardly, Orthosia gothica is indistinguishable from its East Asian sister Orthosia askoldensis . In this case, a genital examination is required for a safe determination .

Geographical distribution and habitat

The occurrence of the species extends from the Iberian Peninsula through all European countries to East Asia including Japan . In the north it can still be found beyond the Arctic Circle . The southern area boundary runs through the northern Mediterranean region via Asia Minor to the east. In the mountains it occurs up to an altitude of over 2000 meters. The Gothica kitten owl is native to a wide variety of habitats. These include forest edges, clearings, heathland areas, bushy meadows as well as cultural landscapes and settlement areas.

Way of life

The moths are crepuscular and nocturnal and visit artificial light sources and bait , but prefer flowering pussy willows for feeding . Their very early flight time also runs largely parallel to the willow blossom ( Salix ) and therefore mainly covers the months of March to May. Sometimes the moths fly in February, even at low temperatures. The caterpillars live in May and June. They feed on the leaves of various plants, for example

and others. Pupation takes place in a solid cave in the ground, where wintering also takes place.

Danger

The Gothica kitten owl is widespread in Germany and can be found in large numbers in certain areas, so that it is classified as not endangered on the Red List of Endangered Species .

Systematics

Orthosia gothica is divided into two subspecies:

  • Orthosia gothica gothica , in the greater part of the range of the species
  • Orthosia gothica jezoensis Matsumura, 1926, in the Russian Far East , Sakhalin , Kuril Islands and northern Japan.

swell

literature

  • Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 5. , Sorø, 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9
  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . Volume 7, Nachtfalter V. Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-8001-3500-0

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Red list at Science4you
  2. ↑ a b Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 5. , Sorø, 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9
  3. ^ A b Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 .
  4. ↑ a b Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . Volume 7, Nachtfalter V. Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-8001-3500-0
  5. ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany. Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 978-3-896-24110-8

Web links

Commons : Gothica Kitty Owl  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files