Iota silver owl

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Iota silver owl
Iota silver owl (Autographa jota)

Iota silver owl ( Autographa jota )

Systematics
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Plusiinae
Genre : Autograph
Type : Iota silver owl
Scientific name
Autographa iota
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The iota silver owl ( Autographa jota ), also known as iota gold owl , is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of owl butterflies (Noctuidae).

features

The iota silver owl is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of 36 to 44 millimeters from the subfamily of gold owls (Plusiinae). The moths have reddish-brown forewings with silver-colored characters in the form of a V with a point next to it, which are often connected to one another and then resemble the small Greek letter gamma . The drawing almost never resembles the Greek letter iota , as the name of the species might suggest. The midfield is darkened. In contrast to the very similar and slightly smaller Ziest silver owl ( Autographa pulchrina ), the drawing is less contrasting, less colorful and usually a little lighter. The fringes on the underside are one color. The hind wings are brown-gray with a dark central band and dark border. The species varies widely in coloring and drawing, and the following forms have been described:

  • f. percontationis Tr., with merged metal marks
  • f. inscripta Esp., without metal characters

The caterpillars are colored light green and have a dark, white bordered back line as well as slightly wavy, white side back lines and also white side stripes and point warts. The stigmas are yellowish, the head green. The pupa is black, yellowish on the underside.

Similar species

Geographical distribution and habitat

The iota silver owl is widespread in Europe and is also found in parts of the Near East . In the Alps you can still find them at an altitude of 1,900 meters. The occurrence includes sunny slopes, heather areas, forest edges, riparian areas, floodplains, meadow valleys, gardens and park landscapes.

Way of life

The iota silver owl is nocturnal and also flies to artificial light sources . The females lay the eggs on the forage plant, from which the caterpillars hatch in autumn and then feed on the leaves of a variety of plants, such as:

They overwinter and pupate mostly in May of the following year in a thin, white web. The moths fly from June to August.

Danger

The species occurs in very different frequencies in Germany and is classified in category 1 (critically endangered) in some federal states.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Manfred Koch, Wolfgang Heinicke: We determine butterflies. 3. Edition. Neumann, Radebeul 1991, ISBN 3-7402-0092-8 .
  2. ^ 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 .

literature

Web links

Commons : Jota silver owl ( Autographa jota )  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files