Red-headed winter owl

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Red-headed winter owl
Red-headed winter owl (Conistra erythrocephala)

Red-headed winter owl ( Conistra erythrocephala )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Xyleninae
Genre : Conistra
Type : Red-headed winter owl
Scientific name
Conistra erythrocephala
( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775)

The red-headed winter owl ( Conistra erythrocephala ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae). The species overwinters as a butterfly and is therefore one of the so-called "winter owls".

features

butterfly

The moth has a wingspan of 32 to 42 mm. The species is presented in two color variants: the nominate form is reddish-gray to reddish yellow, the forma glabra Hübner denotes specimens with red-brown forewings and gray-yellow markings. The veins are mostly lightly dusted. The drawing is usually clearly visible and darker than the basic color. The apex is bluntly rounded, the outer edge slightly convex. The head and thorax are invariably reddish brown in color; the abdomen has lateral spots. The small ring blemishes and the large kidney blemishes usually have a darker outer edge and a lighter inner edge. In the kidney defect there are almost always three, rarely four black points. Occasionally there are also specimens that have no points in the kidney defect (f. Impunctata Spuler). At the front edge, an indistinctly delimited dark spot is formed within the wavy line. The hind wings are dark gray-brown with a diffuse discal spot.

Egg, caterpillar and pupa

The hemispherical egg is initially light yellow; it will turn pink later. The outside shows strong, slightly wavy vertical stripes. The caterpillar is gray-brown to yellow-brown with a narrow, light back line and light side back lines. Head and pronotum are black-brown; the pronotum is covered with three light stripes, the middle stripe being only weakly developed. The stigmas are black with a gray border. The approach of the bristles has a light border. The squat doll is red-brown with a short, cone-shaped cremaster . This is covered with a few, quite short bristles.

Geographical distribution and habitat

The species occurs from North Africa (Morocco and Algeria) and Spain in the west, across southern and central Europe to Turkey, southern Russia and the Caucasus . Presumably it also occurs in Iraq and Jordan. In the north, the distribution limit lies in southern England, Denmark, southern Fennoscandia, the Baltic States and across Russia to the Ural Mountains. The species inhabits oak-rich deciduous forests on the plains and the hill country, especially forest edges, clearings, cleared and windbreak areas and bushes with young oak populations. In Central Europe it occurs up to a height of about 500 m. Accordingly, the species is only represented locally, but can be quite common in these habitats . In Baden-Württemberg, the species is currently expanding its range again after the populations had declined significantly until about the second half of the 20th century.

Phenology and way of life

The species trains one generation a year. The moths hatch in September, the main autumn flight time is in October and November. Then the moths hold a winter break, which is also interrupted on warm winter days. The moths fly again from February. The main flight time is March and April, some moths still fly in May. The moths have to eat according to their long lifespan. In autumn they were observed on late-blooming plants (e.g. buddleia ( Buddleja davidi )). In spring they were observed on Sal willow ( Salix caprea ) and thick-leaf bergenia ( Bergenia crassifolia ). The moths are nocturnal and occasionally come to light , happily and in large numbers at the bait . Mating does not take place until spring. The eggs are apparently preferentially laid on oak buds. The caterpillars are found in May and June. Oak ( Quercus sp.) Buds and leaves seem to be the main food, although hornbeams ( Carpinus ) and elms ( Ulmus ) are also mentioned in the literature . The adult caterpillars migrate to the herbaceous layer and eat bedstraws ( Galium ), plantains ( Plantago ) and dandelions (Taraxacum) ( Taraxacum ). The latter information comes from captivity observations.

Systematics

The species was first scientifically described in 1775 by Michael Denis and Johann Ignaz Schiffermüller as Noctua erythrocephala . The authors also described it under the name Noctua glabra , which was only later recognized as a coloring variant (today forma glabra ). Conista erythrocephala was previously frequently placed in the genus Dasycampa Guenée, in 1837 before this genus was synonymous with Conistra . Today Dasycampa is used again by some authors as a subgenus of Conistra ; the species is described by Ronkay et al. listed as Conistra (Dasycampa) erythrocephala .

Danger

The species is generally not considered endangered in Germany. However, the situation is very different from state to state. But this is also due to the fact that the species was only regionally quite common. It died out in Saarland and Hamburg. In North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia it is "highly endangered (Category 2)", in Lower Saxony "Endangered (Category 3)". In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Rhineland-Palatinate it is regarded as a type of "advance warning level (category 4)".

swell

literature

  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg Volume 6, Nachtfalter IV. Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1997 (Eulen (Noctuidae) 2nd part), ISBN 3-800-13482-9
  • Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 .
  • Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela & Márton Hreblay: Noctuidae Europaeae Volume 5 Hadeninae II. 452 S., Entomological Press, Sorø 2001 ISBN 87-89430-06-9

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ after Ronkay et al., P. 123/4
  2. ↑ after Bernd Schacht on noctuidae.de
  3. ↑ Red Lists of the FRG

Web links

Commons : Red-headed Winter Owl  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files