Little kitten owl

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Little kitten owl
Reddish color variant of the kitten owl (Orthosia cruda)

Reddish color variant of the kitten owl ( Orthosia cruda )

Systematics
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Hadeninae
Genre : Orthosia
Subgenus : Monima
Type : Little kitten owl
Scientific name
Orthosia (Monima) cruda
( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775)
male female
male
female
Dark color variant of
the kitten owl caterpillar
The green color variant

The little kitten owl ( Orthosia (Monima) cruda , syn .: Taeniocampa pulverulenta ), also known as the yellow-gray spring owl, is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae).

features

butterfly

With a wingspan of 24 to 32 millimeters, the moths are among the smaller owl butterflies. The basic color of the narrow forewings ranges from gray or light brown to reddish and includes all color variants in between. While the kidney blemish is strongly curved and mostly filled in dark, the ring blemish appears indistinct or completely absent. The transverse lines are sometimes broken up into small dark points. In some copies, all drawing elements are only indistinctly and faintly highlighted. The hind wings are gray-brown without drawing. The antennae of the males are combed on both sides, those of the females only have very short teeth.

egg

The hemispherical egg has a yellowish color and is covered with weak, slightly wavy ribs.

Caterpillar

Adult caterpillars appear in several color variants: there are green specimens that show a thin white-yellow back line and a wide yellow side stripe, as well as almost black animals that have whitish back and side back lines. The black point warts stand out clearly.

Doll

The black-brown doll is characterized by two sideways curved tips on the short cremaster .

Similar species

A genital morphological examination is recommended for an unequivocal determination .

Geographical distribution and habitat

The occurrence of the species extends through Europe and further east to Turkey , northwest Iraq , the Middle East to the Caucasus . It has also been detected in the Maghreb countries. In the mountains it rises to heights of a little over 1000 meters. The little kitten owl can be found in various habitats, for example in deciduous forests, on bushy forest edges as well as in gardens and parklands.

Way of life

The moths are crepuscular and nocturnal and visit numerous artificial light sources and bait , but prefer flowering pussy willows for feeding . Their very early flight time runs largely parallel to the willow blossom ( Salix ) and therefore mainly covers the months from March to May. The caterpillars live in May and June. They feed polyphagously on the leaves of various trees and shrubs, for example poplar ( Populus ), willow ( Salix ), Prunus , Rubus and oak species ( Quercus ). The species overwinters as a pupa.

Danger

The little kitten owl is widespread in Germany and can be found in large numbers in some areas and is classified as not endangered.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela & Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II . In: Michael Fibiger, Martin Honey (Ed.): Noctuidae Europaeae . tape 5 . Entomological Press, Sorø 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9 (English).
  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. ^ Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . 1st edition. tape 7 . Moth V Noctuidae 3rd part. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1998, ISBN 3-8001-3500-0 .

literature

  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . 1st edition. tape 7 . Moth V Noctuidae 3rd part. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1998, ISBN 3-8001-3500-0 .
  • Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela & Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II . In: Michael Fibiger, Martin Honey (Ed.): Noctuidae Europaeae . tape 5 . Entomological Press, Sorø 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9 (English).
  • Manfred Koch : We determine butterflies. Volume 3: Owls. 2nd, expanded edition. Neumann, Leipzig / Radebeul 1972, DNB 760072930 .

Web links

Commons : Little Kitten Owl ( Orthosia cruda )  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files