Reddish autumn owl

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Reddish autumn owl
Agrochola helvola.jpg

Reddish autumn owl ( Agrochola helvola )

Systematics
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Xyleninae
Tribe : Xylenini
Sub tribus : Xylenina
Genre : Agrochola
Type : Reddish autumn owl
Scientific name
Agrochola helvola
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The reddish autumn owl ( Agrochola helvola ) or willow autumn owl is a butterfly ( moth ) from the owl butterfly family (Noctuidae).

features

butterfly

The wingspan of the moth is 34 to 45 millimeters. The color spectrum of the forewings is very large and shows reddish-brown, green-gray, ocher-yellow or red tints. The kidney flaws hardly stand out from the basic color and are filled with gray or brown below, ring flaws are indistinct, cone flaws cannot be recognized. The ribbon-shaped, slightly darkened field between the wavy line and the outer transverse line is particularly striking. In addition, dark points stand out on the wavy line. The gray-brown hind wings shimmer light reddish-yellow at the edge.

Egg, caterpillar, pupa

The egg is initially reddish-yellow and changes color to a reddish-light brown color before hatching and shows white spots and a yellowish egg base. The caterpillars are yellow-brown or red-brown in color, have thin, white back and side back lines, wide, white, sharply defined lateral stripes and whitish point warts. The doll has two fine bristles on the cremaster .

Similar species

  • There is a certain similarity to the reddish-yellow autumn owl ( Agrochola circellaris ), which, however, usually has more yellowish tones and less prominent forewings. The kidney flaws are filled with black below, the wavy line is drawn red-brown on the inside and the hind wings are colored ocher-yellow on the inside and gray-brown further on the outside.
  • There are further similarities to other species of the genus Agrochola , e.g. B. to the yellow-brown autumn owl .

distribution and habitat

The occurrence of the species extends over most of Europe, north to Scotland and Fennoscandia to beyond the Arctic Circle , south to Spain , Sicily (but missing on Sardinia ), Greece and continue on front and Central Asia by the middle of Siberia . In the mountains it occurs up to an altitude of over 1400 meters. The reddish autumn owl can be found in a wide variety of dry as well as damp habitats such as bush forests, mountain and meadow valleys, blueberry heather or park landscapes as well as in riverside areas and wet meadows.

Way of life

The moths are nocturnal animals. They can usually be found sparsely on artificial light sources , but appear regularly and sometimes in large numbers on baits . The main flight times are September and October. The caterpillars live mostly in May and June. They feed on the leaves of a variety of plants, such as

and others. Before pupating in a solid cave in the ground, they lie in the cocoon as a prepupa for weeks . The species overwinters as an egg.

Danger

The reddish autumn owl is widespread in Germany and can be found in large numbers in certain areas, so that it is classified as not endangered on the red list of endangered species .

swell

literature

  • Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 5. , Sorø, 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9
  • 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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 5. , Sorø, 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9
  2. ↑ Manfred Koch : We identify butterflies. Volume 3: Owls. 2nd, expanded edition. Neumann, Leipzig / Radebeul 1972, DNB 760072930 .
  3. ^ 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 .
  4. ↑ a b c 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
  5. ↑ Arno Bergmann: The large butterflies of Central Germany. Volume 4/1: Owls. Distribution, forms and communities. Urania-Verlag, Jena 1954, DNB 450378373 .
  6. ^ E. Haeger: 10 years house light capture (Macrolepidoptera). Journal for applied zoology, Duncker & Humblot publishing house, Berlin-Munich, 1956
  7. ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany. Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 978-3-896-24110-8

Web links

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