Sand heather bark owl

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Sand heather bark owl
Systematics
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Acronictinae
Genre : Acronicta
Type : Sand heather bark owl
Scientific name
Acronicta cinerea
( Hufnagel , 1766)

The sand heather bark owl ( Acronicta cinerea ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae). It is very closely related to the milkweed bark owl . Some authors even deny the independence of the two species until recently.

features

The moths reach a wingspan of about 33 to 38 millimeters. The basic color is usually dark gray, but lighter specimens also occur. The inner and outer transverse lines are often poorly developed or very blurred. The outer transverse line is only slightly jagged to almost imperforate. The apex of the forewings is rounded. The hind wings of the males are whitish, in the females gray with white fringes. A center line and a discal spot are present, but only indistinctly developed.

The egg is hemispherical and pink in color. The surface is covered with bright, irregular, not very clearly formed ribs.

The caterpillar is black-brown, the head black. The warts are brownish and covered with tufts of black and white hair. There are large, white or yellow triangular spots on the back.

Similar species

The sand heather bark owl is very similar to the milkweed bark owl ( Acronicta euphorbiae ), if there are two species at all. The wingspan is in the same order of magnitude as that of the milkweed bark owl; this is a little larger on average. A reliable determination of the moths can only be made through a genital examination . Since the caterpillars of the two species differ significantly, a clear allocation by means of breeding is also possible. The A. cinerea caterpillar lacks the orange-red, transverse dorsal spot on the 2nd segment and the yellow-red lateral stripes.

Geographical distribution and habitat

The sand heather bark owl is widespread in Europe north of a line that stretches from northern Scotland, northeastern Netherlands / border with northwestern Germany, southeastward through the northern Czech Republic, southern Poland, across Ukraine and southern Russia to the Ural Mountains. It extends further into northern Central Asia, Siberia, the Altai to northern and central China.

The species lives mainly on sandy soil in pine heaths and pine forests, but also in moist heaths and moors in the mountains and in ruderal areas.

Way of life

The sand heather bark owl forms one to two generations per year, whereby the second generation, if it is formed, is incomplete. The moths of the first generation fly from May to June, those of the incomplete second generation in July and August. The caterpillars feed on polyphagous on various plants, mostly of species of heather ( Calluna ) and the genus Myrica , but also willow plants (Salicaceae), legumes (Fabaceae), figwort plants (Scrophulariaceae) and Compositae (Asteraceae). They pupate in a light web. The pupa hibernates.

Danger

The species is endangered in Brandenburg (Category 3), in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as critically endangered and in Lower Saxony it is threatened with extinction.

Systematics

The taxonomic status of A. cinerea is still controversial. Proponents that A. cinerea is a species of its own argue that the caterpillars differ significantly and that the moths are usually distinguishable. The genital organs also differ slightly. It is also argued that the distribution areas are almost mutually exclusive. The other side regards A. cinerea as an ecological variant of A. euphorbiae that specializes in sandy soil and / or pine heather. Transitional forms have been observed in the caterpillars of both species. In addition, the moths can often not be clearly distinguished in individual cases. The differences in the genital apparatus of males and females are often only minor. The gradual transitions in the caterpillars could also be explained by a hybridization zone, where both species occur together. It would need to be clarified here whether these hybrids actually reproduce successfully immediately, or whether the species barrier is maintained, for example through less reproductive success, greater susceptibility to parasites, etc. Based on the current results, it cannot yet be decided whether A. cinerea is actually an independent species is. According to the international rules for zoological nomenclature, if it is not a separate species, the species should also be called A cinerea , since this name has priority.

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Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Fibiger et al. (2009: p. 52)
  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. ↑ Red List
  4. ↑ Discussion of the species status in a forum post by Axel Steiner

literature

  • Michael Fibiger, László Ronkay, Axel Steiner & Alberto Zilli: Noctuidae Europaeae Volume 11 Pantheinae, Dilobinae, Acronictinae, Eustrotiinae, Nolinae, Bagisarinae, Acontiinae, Metoponiinae, Heliothinae and Bryophilinae. 504 pp., Entomological Press, Sorø 2009, ISBN 978-87-89430-14-0 .

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