Heliothela wulfeniana
| Heliothela wulfeniana | ||||||||||||
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Heliothela wulfeniana |
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| Heliothela wulfeniana | ||||||||||||
| ( Scopoli , 1763) |
Heliothela wulfeniana is a butterfly from the family of Crambiden (Crambidae).
features
The moths have a fore wing length of five to seven millimeters and an owl-like appearance. The upper sides of the wings are brownish black and have an inconspicuous black pattern. The inner transverse line is convex in the base area. The outer transverse line runs straight from the Costa loader to the middle of the wing, is then curved inwards and meets the inner edge of the wing at a right angle. The discal stain is indistinct. The hem line runs parallel to the outer transverse line. The fringed scales are gray at the base and especially white at the distal apex . The forewings are covered with lead-gray points. On the hind wings there is a pale spot at the end of the cell . The undersides of the wings are pale brown and shimmer more or less green. On the underside of the forewing, there is a white elongated spot in the middle of the Costa loaders. The hind wing undersides are marked with a conspicuous white spot at the end of the cell.
The intensity of the metallic spots, the white spots and the green sheen of the wings are variable. The features mentioned are either barely developed or developed normally; there are also intermediate stages of varying degrees. The specimens found in Turkey are usually larger and have a more noticeable green sheen. The moths in the French Alps, on the other hand, are smaller and have noticeable white spots. The causes of this variability are still unknown.
In the males the uncus is broad and elongated, distally it is slightly pointed. The Gnathos is divided into two parts, each branch arises at the lateral junction of the Tegumen and Uncus. The costal edge of the valves is strongly sclerotized and toothed in front . The Juxta is U-shaped. The vinculum has a spade-shaped widening. The phallus is straight. At the ventral lying caudal is a sclerotized strip opening. Opposite the dorsal side there are two to three sclerotized teeth. The vesica is provided with a row of 12 cornuti. The ejaculatory bulb opens caudally . The 8th tergite is longer than the 8th sternite .
In females, the corpus bursae is egg-shaped and has a conspicuous, inward-facing spine that is toothed at the back. The bursal duct is thick and straight. It has no convolutions or folds, the sclerotization of the colliculum and antrum are fused together.
The adult caterpillars are about eight millimeters long. They are dark brown and have alternating dark and light stripes. The head and the first segment are almost black.
Similar species
The similar species, native to East Asia, Heliothela nigralbata Leech , 1889, has a conspicuous white spot on the hind wings. This could be a variation of H. wulfeniana . Heliothela ophideresana ( Walker , 1863) has bright orange hind wings with black edges and occurs in dry regions of the southern Mediterranean .
distribution
Heliothela wulfeniana is widespread in Europe. The northernmost occurrences of the species are in Denmark and the southern areas of Sweden and Finland . The distribution area extends from France and Spain in the west over Central Europe and the Mediterranean area (with the exception of the Balearic Islands , Sardinia , Crete and Cyprus ) to the European part of Russia. Outside Europe, the species is also found in the Caucasus and Altai , as well as in Turkey and Central Asia . The specimens from Madeira in the collection of the Natural History Museum are probably incorrectly labeled, so that this occurrence has to be confirmed.
biology
Heliothela wulfeniana colonizes xerophilic sandy habitats with sparse vegetation. The moths fly from July to August. They are diurnal and fly close to the ground where they visit flowers of yarrow ( Achillea ), bindweed ( Convolvulus ) and thyme ( Thymus ). The females lay the eggs on the upper side of the leaf, where the caterpillars hatch after five to six days. The first stage mines in the leaves, the second caterpillar stage bores into the leaf stem. The caterpillars live on violets ( viola ) and mint ( mentha ). Wild pansy was also accepted under breeding conditions . One or two caterpillars develop per plant. They pupate in the ground near the food plant. The species is rarely found, but occurs locally in sunny and dry years.
Systematics
The following synonyms are known from the literature :
- Phalaena wulfeniana Scopoli , 1763
- Phalaena Pyralis atralis Huebner , 1788
- Pyralis helwigiana Fabricius , 1794
- Pyralis undulalis cabinet , 1802
- Heliothela praegalliensis Frey , 1880
- Heliothela coerulealis Caradja , 1916
- Heliothela atralis . albocilialis Rebel , 1941
- Heliothela huebneri Kocak , 1980
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Barry Goater, Matthias Nuss, Wolfgang Speidel: Pyraloidea I (Crambidae, Acentropinae, Evergestinae, Heliothelinae, Schoenobiinae, Scopariinae) . In: P. Huemer, O. Karsholt, L. Lyneborg (eds.): Microlepidoptera of Europe . 1st edition. tape 4 . Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2005, ISBN 87-88757-33-1 , pp. 110 (English).
- ↑ Karl Traugott Schütze: The biology of the small butterflies with special consideration of their nutrient plants and times of appearance. Handbook of Microlepidoptera. Caterpillar calendar arranged according to the illustrated German Flora by H. Wagner. Frankfurt am Main, publishing house of the International Entomological Association e. V., 1931, p. 165
- ↑ Patrice Leraut: Zygaenids, Pyralids 1 . In: Moths of Europe . 1st edition. Volume III. NAP Editions, 2012, ISBN 978-2-913688-15-5 , pp. 185 (English).
- ^ Heliothela wulfeniana in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved October 13, 2014
- ↑ Global Information System on Pyraloidea (GlobIZ). Retrieved October 14, 2014 .
Web links
- Heliothela wulfeniana (SCOPOLI, 1763). Lepiforum e. V .: Determination aid of the Lepiforum for the butterfly species found in Germany, Austria and Switzerland., Accessed on October 13, 2014 .