Blackthorn hedge wrench

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Blackthorn hedge wrench
Blackthorn hedge (Ascotis selenaria)

Blackthorn hedge ( Ascotis selenaria )

Systematics
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Spanner (Geometridae)
Subfamily : Ennominae
Tribe : Boarmiini
Genre : Ascotis
Type : Blackthorn hedge wrench
Scientific name
Ascotis selenaria
( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775)

The blackthorn hedge ( Ascotis selenaria ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the spanners (Geometridae).

features

The sloe hedge grizzly reaches a wingspan of 38 to 48 millimeters. The forewings are characterized by a yellowish-white basic color, are finely dusted with dark and have a light, black-edged central spot. The middle shadow and the wavy line are often only indistinctly drawn and continue on the hind wings. Furthermore, two brownish transverse lines can be found on the forewings, of which the outer one is sharply toothed. In the fringe area there are usually one or two blackish spots above the radial 3. The species is unmistakable because of the distinctive moon spots on the fore and hind wings.

The coloring and drawing of the caterpillars is variable and varies from a drawing-free green to finely marbled brown tones. They reach a length of up to 55 millimeters.

Subspecies

  • Ascotis selenaria dianaria (Huebner, 1817)
  • Ascotis selenaria selenaria (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
  • Ascotis selenaria artemis Staudinger, 1897. Amur area to Japan and Korea
  • Ascotis selenaria cretacea (Butler, 1879)
  • Ascotis selenaria reciprocaria (Walker)
  • Ascotis selenaria imparata (Walker)

Synonyms

  • Boarmia selenaria

Occurrence

The distribution area of ​​the sloe hedge-gray moth stretches from Spain and the western Mediterranean region over the Balkans, Asia Minor , the Black Sea region and the Caucasus to the Altai , and from Central and Eastern Europe to the Urals . The species occurs in large parts of Africa, up to South Africa.

Way of life

The butterfly can be found on rocky slopes, hedge areas, bushy forest edges and sandy pine forests.

The caterpillars live polyphagous on the following plants, among others: field mugwort ( Artemisia campestris ), elder ( Sambucus spec.), Roses ( Rosa spec.), Blackberries ( Rubus fruticosus agg. ), Broom ( Cytisus scoparius ), dandelions ( Taraxacum ) , Birches ( Betula spec.), Strawberry trees ( Arbutus spec.), Beavers ( Pimpinella spec.), Sweet clover ( Melilotus spec.), Cypress spurge ( Euphorbia cyparissias ), long-leaved acacia ( Mimosa longifolia ), silver acacia ( Mimosa dealbata ), Sage ( Salvia spec.), Bald willow ( Salix glabra ).

The caterpillars pupate in the ground and overwinter.

The moths are nocturnal and like to fly to artificial light sources.

Flight and caterpillar times

The sloe hedge moth forms three to five generations a year in some distribution areas, and two generations in southern Europe, which fly from April to May and from July to August. The caterpillars can be found from September to October (first generation) and from June to July (second generation). If only one generation is formed due to the climatic conditions, it flies from the end of June to the beginning of August, while the caterpillars can be observed from August to September.

pest

Ascotis selenaria including its subspecies is a serious pest in commercial agriculture worldwide . In Japan, the subspecies Ascotis selenaria cretacea is a pest in tea plantations.

Other plant species on which the species was identified as a pest are: peanuts ( Arachis hypogaea , Madagascar 1939), neem tree ( Azadirachta indica , India 1940), citrus plants ( Citrus spec., South Africa 1965, Sicily 1937), white mulberry ( Morus alba , Japan 1917), coffee ( Coffea spec. East Africa 1972).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Manfred Koch , Wolfgang Heinicke, Bernd Müller: We determine butterflies. Volume 4: Spanner. 2nd, improved and enlarged edition. Neumann, Leipzig / Radebeul 1976, DNB 780451570 .
  2. ↑ Axel Hausmann, Michael A. Miller: Atlas of the caterpillars of European and Asia Minor butterflies, photographed by Burkhard Nippe , Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-931-51679-2
  3. ↑ Fauna Europaea Web Service (2005) Fauna Europaea version 1.2 (March 7, 2005), online: https://fauna-eu.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/b186ac6a-65ae-46c4-a5ba-70244d7ea66f (accessed on December 2 2006)
  4. ↑ Fauna Europaea Web Service (2005) Fauna Europaea version 1.2 (March 7, 2005), online: https://fauna-eu.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/99565ba7-de00-4ee8-b077-f69b65c800f5 (accessed on December 2 2006)
  5. ↑ a b c Günter Ebert (Hrsg.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg Volume 9 (Spanner (Geometridae) 2nd part), Nachtfalter VII. Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-800-13279-6
  6. ↑ https://www.africanmoths.com/pages/GEOMETRIDAE/ENNOMINAE/Ascotis%20selenaria.html
  7. ↑ a b M. Wysoki, E. Swirski and S. Greenber, Y. Izhar: The giant looper Boarmia (Ascotis) selenaria Schiff (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). A New Pest in Avocado Plantations in Israel. In: California Avocado Society 1974-75 Yearbook 58: 77-82.
  8. ↑ Tetsu Ando, ​​Kazuya Ohtani, Masanobu Yamamoto, Takashi Miyamoto, Xu-Rong Qin and Witjaksono: Sex Pheromone of Japanese Giant Looper, Ascotis selenaria cretacea: Identification and Field Tests doi : 10.1023 / B: JOEC.0000006683.58028.1e

Web links

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