Satellite winter owl
| Satellite winter owl | ||||||||||||
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Satellite winter owl ( Eupsilia transversa ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Eupsilia transversa | ||||||||||||
| ( Hufnagel , 1766) |
The satellite winter owl ( Eupsilia transversa ) 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 40 to 48 mm. The basic color varies from light red-brown to dark gray-brown and dark brown. The transverse lines are usually clearly defined and usually darker than the basic color. The basal transverse line and inner transverse line are almost straight and only slightly wavy. The outer transverse line is curved and jagged. The middle shadow is diffuse, not clearly delimited, with a median jagged shape and darker than the basic color. The wavy line is usually less clear than the other transverse lines. It ends before the front edge in a diffusely limited, gray spot. The ring flaw is small and hardly stands out from the basic color; in some specimens it cannot be seen, in other specimens there is a small black spot in the center. The kidney defect, on the other hand, is very characteristic; relatively large, rounded, with a central, approximately triangular white or yellow spot and two small spots on or below the two outer curves of the spot, also called satellite spots (see German species name!). The hind wings are uniformly gray-brown. Here the transverse lines and the discal patch are barely visible.
The apex is relatively pointed, the outer edge jagged. The hemline is usually fine and often markedly darker; but it can also be almost extinguished. The head and thorax are usually kept in the basic color, rarely a little darker.
egg
The egg is flattened hemispherically, the outside with numerous, somewhat irregular longitudinal lines. It is slightly recessed at the top, the micropyl region somewhat raised. This is surrounded by a flat channel. It is light yellow to gray-brown and turns darker in color before hatching.
Caterpillar
The caterpillar is dark brown to blackish brown and almost black, often with a purple tint. The back line and the side back lines are very fine and lighter. The sideline is broken up into white spots on the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 11th segments. The head is red-brown, the neck plate black with two yellow longitudinal lines. The spiracles are outlined in black.
Doll
The squat doll is red-brown with a short, cone-shaped cremaster . This is covered with two long, slightly curved bristles.
Geographical distribution and habitat
The distribution area of the species extends from Western Europe to East Asia (Japan). In the south, the limit of distribution runs from northern Spain, Sardinia, central Italy, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Asia Minor and the Caucasus region to Central Asia. In the north, the geographic occurrence extends to Scotland and the Orkney Islands. Individual animals have also been reported from Iceland. In Fennoscandia the distribution of the species extends almost to the Arctic Circle, as well as in northern Russia. The species is very cold tolerant and lives in a wide variety of habitats, from wooded areas to open grasslands, from lowlands to over the tree line. From temperate regions to the subarctic tundra. The species rises in the Alps up to 1800 m.
Phenology and way of life
The species trains one generation a year. The moths hatch in September, some animals as early as August. The main autumn flight season extends from September to November. Then the moths take a winter break, which can be interrupted on mild winter days. The moths are dependent on ingestion of food. They were observed in autumn on plants that bloom late (e.g. butterfly lilacs ( Buddleja davidii )), but also suckle on tree sap. Decaying fruit and aphid droppings also serve as food. In spring, the kittens from various willows are visited; they have also been observed on tree blossoms. They like to get the bait. They are nocturnal and come to artificial light sources.
The eggs are laid one at a time. The caterpillars can be found in May and June. They are extremely polyphagous and feed on the leaves of numerous deciduous trees and bushes. The young caterpillars live in leaves that are woven together. They are nocturnal and hide during the day. The following are proven: trembling poplars ( Populus tremula ), wild willow ( Salix caprea ), common hazel ( Corylus avellana ), common beech ( Fagus sylvatica ), pedunculate oak ( Quercus robur ), field elm ( Ulmus minor ), cultivated apple ( Malus domestica ), hawthorn ( Crataegus sp.), Blackberries ( Rubus fruticosus agg.), Rubus sp., Plum ( Prunus domestica ), bird cherry ( Prunus avium ), sloe ( Prunus spinosa ), field maple ( Acer campestre ), common spindle bush ( Euonymus europaeus ), Buckthorn lime ( Tilia platyphyllos ), buckthorn ( Frangula alnus ) and lilac ( Syringa vulgaris ). The caterpillars are considered to be murder caterpillars , i.e. that is, that they eat other caterpillars. Aphids and insect larvae are also eaten. Pupation takes place in a cocoon in the earth.
Systematics
The species was first scientifically described in 1766 by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel as Phalaena transversa . Only a year later, Carl von Linné described it again under the name Phalaena satellitia , the name is therefore a more recent synonym of Eupsilia transversa (Hufnagel, 1766). It is the type species of the genus Eupsilia Hübner, 1821.
Danger
The species is considered not endangered in Germany.
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
- ↑ after Ronkay et al., P.
- ↑ Red Lists of the FRG
