Noctuinae

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Noctuinae
Light-edged earth owl (Ochropleura plecta)

Light-edged earth owl ( Ochropleura plecta )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Subordination : Glossata
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Noctuinae
Scientific name
Noctuinae
Latreille , 1809
Agrotis turatii , male

The Noctuinae are a subfamily of butterflies from the owl butterfly family (Noctuidae).

features

The small to medium-sized species of the Noctuinae are counted among the trifine ("trifin" denotes a certain form of the fore wing veins) owl butterflies with spurred splints ( tibiae ) and hairless, unlashed compound eyes . The forewings are usually narrow and have an angled outer edge. One of the autapomorphies , which presumably differentiate the subfamily from the rest of the owl butterflies, is the absence of the olfactory organs basal on the abdomen in the males of most species. In the first stage , the caterpillars also have thickened bristles on the sclerotized pinacula .

Way of life

In the resting position, the adults of most trifine owls sit with their wings folded like a roof over their abdomen. The rear edges of the fore wings meet in the middle above the abdomen or slightly overlap in the anal angle (tornus). In the Noctuinae, however, the wings lie flat and horizontally over the abdomen and overlap so much that the anterior edges of the forewings are almost parallel to the midline of the abdomen. This presumably represents another autapomorphism of the subfamily.

The caterpillars are usually polyphagous and feed on herbaceous flowering seeds . Older caterpillars hide in the ground or under herbaceous plants with wide leaves during the day. They are nocturnal and use their mouthparts to cut off parts of plants that they eat in their shelter. Because of this behavior, some species, such as several representatives of the genera Agrotis and Euxoa , are dreaded pests in agriculture. For example, the widespread in tropical, subtropical and temperate zone of warmer black cutworm ( Agrotis ipsilon ), and turnip moth ( Agrotis segetum ) pests in a variety of agricultural plants. Agrotis infusa and Agrotis munda cause severe damage to agriculture in Australia. Another particular problem is that the caterpillars damage the plants basal and cut off the overlying areas from the supply, whereby the plants quickly die off. Agrotis infusa is also known for its migratory and associated aggregation behavior in southeast Australia. This behavior can also be seen in some species of the Agrotini tribe in western North America.

Systematics

A total of about 300 genera are assigned to the subfamily. In Europe there are around 1300 species and subspecies, in Central Europe there are 117 species. Lafontaine and Fiebiger (2006) currently differentiate between the following tribes and sub-tribes within the subfamily, of which, however, presumably only the Agrotini tribe is monophyletic :

The subfamilies Noctuinae, Xyleninae and Hadeninae are probably closely related and together form a sister group called "Noctuinae sl ". However, their relationship to each other as well as to the other subfamilies of the owl butterflies has not yet been fully explored.

supporting documents

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Malcolm J. Scoble: The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1995, ISBN 0-19-854952-0 , pp. 341 (English).
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Niels P. Kristensen: Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies . In: Maximilian Fischer (Ed.): Handbook of Zoology . 1st edition. tape 4 - Arthropoda: Insecta , volume 35. de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1998, ISBN 3-11-015704-7 , p. 384 f . (English).
  3. ↑ Butterflies and Moths of the World - Generic Names and their Type-species - Acronictinae
  4. ↑ Noctuinae in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved January 25, 2012
  5. ↑ Noctuidae (owl butterflies) in Central Europe. Lepiforum eV, accessed on January 25, 2012 .
  6. ^ A b J. Donald Lafontaine and Michael Fibiger: Revised higher classification of the Noctuoidea (Lepidoptera) . Canadian Entomologist, 138: 610-635, Ottawa 2006, ISSN  0008-347X

literature

  • Niels P. Kristensen: Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies . In: Maximilian Fischer (Ed.): Handbook of Zoology . 1st edition. tape 4 - Arthropoda: Insecta , volume 35. de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1998, ISBN 3-11-015704-7 (English).
  • Malcolm J. Scoble: The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1995, ISBN 0-19-854952-0 (English).

Web links

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