Yarrow-silver owl
| Yarrow-silver owl | ||||||||||||
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Yarrow Silver Owl ( Macdunnoughia confusa ) |
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| Macdunnoughia confusa | ||||||||||||
| Stephens , 1850 |
The yarrow silver owl , also field herbaceous silver owl , silver comma ( Macdunnoughia confusa ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of owl butterflies (Noctuidae). It is active at night, at dusk and during the day.
features
The wingspan of the moth is 36 to 42 mm. The head and chest area are chocolate brown. There are two bumps on the chest area. The front hump is curved backwards in a semicircle. The basic color of the forewings varies from gray-brown to dark brown. The fore wing is divided by two transverse lines that extend approximately from the middle of the wing to the rear edge. The inner transverse line runs diagonally backwards. It is white and distinct. The outer transverse line is slightly wavy and runs roughly parallel to the hem. It is thin and hardly highlighted in color, usually a little lighter. You can still be recognized by the color change from the middle field to the outer field. Occasionally it is wider towards the rear edge and becomes an elongated white, thin spot. The discal field shows a large, elongated, white, slightly curved spot ("gamma"), which is characteristic of the species. The hemline is often significantly lighter, the fringes usually light gray. The golden-brown hind wings become a little darker towards the outer edge. The undersides of the forewings are reddish brown and also get darker towards the edge. There is a darker outer transverse line and a more or less distinct, small discal spot. The caterpillar is light to gray-greenish, also gray to grayish-brownish with light side stripes that are bordered darker towards the back. The head has a black stripe on each side. The back line is dark green, but indistinctly whitish, the lines of the side back indistinctly whitish. The point warts above the sideline are usually black, as are the sternum and head. The pupa has a greenish white to light brown underside and a black back.
Similar species
The yarrow silver owl is similar to the gamma owl . However, it is smaller and clearly differentiated from this by the different design of the gamma .
Geographical and habitat
The species seems to be spreading at the moment. At the beginning of the 19th century, the species only rarely occurred as far as southern Germany. At the beginning of the 20th century, northern Germany and southern Scandinavia were settled. However, it is difficult to state the actual northern limit up to which the species is also indigenous, as the species flies far north every summer and also forms a subsequent generation there. The caterpillars then do not survive the winter and the population is then rebuilt by immigrants in the following year. Today it is widespread almost all over Europe and is probably also down-to-earth in most countries with the exception of northern Scandinavia and northern Russia. It is very rare in the British Isles and is probably not down to earth there either. In the east, the distribution area extends over the Middle East and Central Asia to Kamchatka , Japan, China and Korea.
The species prefers the climatically warmer areas of Central Europe and colonized them first. The species also seems to be a bit more common in open grasslands or sparsely forested regions. They occur more frequently on dry meadow areas, semi-arid grassland, embankments, railway embankments, flood dams, sand corridors, field edges, fallow areas, ruderal areas, gardens and rubble sites. Wet and humid areas are largely avoided, except for flying through and possibly also visiting flowers. In the German low mountain ranges it rises to about 1000 m altitude, in the Alps to about 1200 m.
Way of life
The species forms two generations in Europe, and three generations in climatically favorable regions. In favorable years, up to four generations are likely to be possible. The populations living in Europe are reinforced by immigrants from southern Europe. The moths can be observed almost continuously from the end of March until well into October. They are good fliers who are active during the day, at dusk and at night. They visit flowers and are attracted by light sources at night. However, they won't be baited by sugar. The eggs are laid individually on the host plants. The caterpillars live polyphagous on a large number of different herbaceous plants. Proven are z. As the stinging nettle ( Urtica dioica ) Common clematis ( Clematis vitalba ), Peucedanum officinale ( Peucedanum officinale ), purple deadnettle ( Lamium purpureum ), Yarrow ( Achillea millefolium ), wormwood ( Artemisia absinthium ), field wormwood ( Artemisia campestris ), Fuchs's ragwort ( Senecio fuchsii ), endive ( Cichorium endivia ) and many more. The caterpillars overwinter. Pupation takes place in a web on the ground.
Systematics
According to the large area of distribution and the variability, there are a number of synonyms. The species used to be part of the genus Plusia .
swell
literature
- Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 .
- Barry Goater: Noctuidae Europaeae Volume 10. Catocalinae & Plusiinae . 452 S. Entomological Press, Sorø 2003 ISBN 87-89430-08-5
- 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
