Gray softwood owl

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Gray softwood owl
Xylena exsoleta.01.jpg

Gray softwood owl ( Xylena exsoleta )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Xyleninae
Genre : Xylena
Type : Gray softwood owl
Scientific name
Xylena exsoleta
( Linnaeus , 1758)
Gray mold owl caterpillar

The gray softwood owl ( Xylena exsoleta ), also called common softwood or pale gray softwood owl, is a butterfly ( moth ) from the owl butterfly family (Noctuidae).

features

butterfly

With a wingspan of 55 to 70 millimeters, the gray softwood owl is a relatively large owl butterfly. The fore wings are narrow and long. The color of the forewings varies from pale gray to gray-brown. Kidney defects are highlighted by dark spots, ring defects are usually indistinct and have a thin, dark border. A black line runs inward from the light wavy line, but it does not reach the kidney flaws. The hind wings are unmarked gray-brown and have a pale brown point near the inner margin. The proboscis of the moths is well developed. The antennae of the males are weakly serrated.

Egg, caterpillar and pupa

The spherical egg has a strongly flattened base, a slightly protruding micropyl part , is irregularly ribbed and initially gray-red, later purple-gray. The young caterpillars are green in color and show yellow longitudinal lines. The adult, green caterpillars are very noticeable. They have broad, black, interrupted, secondary back lines with a yellow and white background, as well as broad, red-brown, interrupted, white and yellow side lines. The thin-shelled doll has two long, diverging thorns on each button-shaped, slightly wrinkled cremaster .

Similar species

  • In the somewhat smaller brown softwood owl ( Xylena vetusta ), the black line emanating from the wavy line always reaches the kidney defects. The basic color emphasizes the brown tones more strongly. Ring flaws are not recognizable.

distribution and habitat

The distribution of the species extends from the Canary Islands and northwest Africa through almost all of Europe, Middle and Middle Asia to the Pacific and Japan . In the mountains it rises up to 3500 meters. The gray softwood owl is mainly found on dry, warm meadows and fields, on embankments, forest edges and in gardens.

Way of life

The moths fly from August, overwinter, reappear in spring and then live until the end of May. In the rest position, they press the wings tightly against the body so that they resemble a piece of modern wood, which is also where the German name of the species can be traced back. They are nocturnal and fly to artificial light sources , especially when bait is placed . In spring they often suckle on willow blossoms ( Salix ). The caterpillars live from May to July. They are polyphagous and feed on a wide variety of plants, of which only a selection is mentioned here:

and other. Pupation takes place in the earth.

Danger

In Germany the species is widespread, but rarely in some areas and is classified in category V on the Red List of Threatened Species (on the warning list).

swell

literature

  • Günter Ebert (Hrsg.): The Butterflies of Baden-Württemberg Volume 6, Nachtfalter IV. Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1997 (Eulen (Noctuidae) 2nd part), ISBN 3-8001-3482-9
  • Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 5. , Sorø, 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 5. , Sorø, 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9
  2. ↑ Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 .
  3. ↑ a b Günter Ebert (Ed.): The Butterflies of Baden-Württemberg Volume 6, Nachtfalter IV. Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1997 (Eulen (Noctuidae) 2nd part), ISBN 3-8001-3482-9
  4. ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany. Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9

Web links

Commons : Gray Wood Owl  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files