Schinia volupia
| Schinia volupia | ||||||||||||
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Schinia volupia on a Gaillardia pulchella flower |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Schinia volupia | ||||||||||||
| ( Fitch , 1868) |
Schinia volupia is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterfly (Noctuidae) that occurspredominantly in North America.
features
butterfly
The moths reach a wingspan of 20 to 22 millimeters. There is only a slight difference in color between the sexes. The basic color of the upper forewing varies in both sexes from ruby red to rusty red. The inner and outer transverse lines are white or light yellow in color and are strongly jagged. In the discal region , some yellowish interferences can sometimes be seen. The wavy line is whitish or yellowish and usually indistinct. Ring and kidney defects are not recognizable or only hinted at. The upper side of the hind wing of the males is monochrome reddish, in the females dark brown to dark reddish brown. The thorax has strong yellow hairs like tufts.
Caterpillar
Adult caterpillars are creamy white in color. They are provided with many red-brown longitudinal lines. The spiracles are black, the first segment of the body shows three large dark brown spots.
Similar species
The moths of Schinia fulleri , Schinia sanrafaeli , Schinia miniana and Schinia biforma can hardly be distinguished from one another due to their external characteristics. DNA barcoding analyzes and genital morphological examinations are necessary for clear determination. Such studies also showed that the Schinia masoni , which had long been regarded as an independent species, is now regarded as a subspecies of Schinia volupia . For further clarification, the use of different food crops as well as regional distribution maps for the assignment of the species can be used as a support.
Distribution and occurrence
Schinia volupia is found in the central part of the United States . The range extends from Wyoming in the north to the south of Texas . Individual finds have also been reported from northern Mexico . The species prefers to live in meadows and grassy areas on which the host plant grows.
Way of life
The moths are predominantly nocturnal. They fly in one generation between March and September. Their main flight time is from April to June. During the day they like to rest on flowers, from which they hardly stand out due to their color, at night they visit artificial light sources . The caterpillars live on Gaillardia pulchella or Gaillardia aristata, which belong to the cockade flowers ( Gaillardia ) . They prefer to feed on the petals and seeds of their host plant.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Information from Iowa State University's BugGuide, [1]
- ↑ a b Michael G. Pogue, Gary D. Ouellette, Charles E Harp: A Revision of the Schinia Volupia (Fitch) Species Complex (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Heliothinae) , Zootaxa 3716 (2), pp. 157-191, ( doi : 10.11646 / zootaxa.3716.2.3 )
- ^ Locations according to information from Mississippi State University, [2]
- ↑ Distribution and flight time, [3]
- ↑ Food plants, [4]
literature
- Seabrooke Leckie & David Beadle: Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Southeastern North America , Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, New York, 2018, ISBN 978-0-544-25211-0
Web links
itis.gov - taxonomy