Simyra nervosa

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Simyra nervosa
Simyra nervosa.jpg

Simyra nervosa

Systematics
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Acronictinae
Genre : Simyra
Type : Simyra nervosa
Scientific name
Simyra nervosa
( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775)

Simyra nervosa , also known as the wedge-winged owl or white-gray wedge-winged owl, is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae).

features

With a wingspan of around 32 to 36 millimeters, the moths are one of the smaller owl species. The head and thorax are yellowish gray or brownish gray, the abdomen gray. The extremely pointed apex is particularly striking . The basic color varies from white-gray to gray-yellow to brown-yellow and brown-gray. There are no cross lines or blemishes. The fringes are white or yellow. The veins of the forewings stand out like welts and are partly bordered in gray. The wings look dusty gray. The hind wings are solid white to light gray. The underside is solid white or light gray. The antennae combed on both sides are characteristic of the males .

The egg has the shape of a flat cone , has strong, somewhat irregular ribs, is bright red in color and has numerous small yellow-white spots.

The caterpillar has a yellow-white color, a broad, dark brown stripe on the back and brown side stripes in which the red spiracles sit. The head is reddish yellow with a notched parting. The red and yellow button warts, which are provided with relatively long, white or yellow hair, are striking.

The doll is colored red-brown.

Similar species

There is a certain similarity to the following, somewhat larger species:

  • Sedge-white-welted owl ( Simyra albovenosa ). Their forewings are wider and show more or less pronounced longitudinal stripes.
  • Narrow-winged reed owl ( Chilodes maritima ). The fore wing shape is more angular in this species. Dark points can be seen on the outer transverse line. Occasionally, ring and kidney defects emerge.
  • Welted reed owl ( Senta flammea ). There is a dark longitudinal line in the middle of the forewings.

All of the aforementioned species predominantly inhabit reed and wetlands , so that their habitats do not overlap with those of nervosa , which prefers dry regions.

Geographical distribution and habitat

The species has a very extensive distribution area, which extends from the eastern half of the Iberian Peninsula, over large parts of France , south-east England , through large parts of Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor , the Caucasus , Iran , Afghanistan , Siberia , Kazakhstan to Mongolia . In the south it extends to southern Spain, Sicily and northern Greece , in the north to Scandinavia ; here the regions around the Baltic Sea are almost completely populated. However, the occurrences in Western, Central and Southern Europe are very fragmented, they can be described as relic occurrences. In Eastern Europe and Western Asia, however, the distribution area is still largely contiguous.

The animals prefer to live on loess , loam and marl soils in warm, dry areas of flat and hilly areas, as well as steppe areas. Because of this occurrence, the species was formerly known as the loess steppe welted owl.

Way of life

Simyra nervosa forms two generations annually in Central Europe. The moths of the first generation fly in April and May, those of the second generation in July and August. Only one generation is formed in the north of the distribution area. The moths are nocturnal and come to artificial light sources .

The first generation caterpillars are mainly found in August and September, those of the second generation mainly in June. They feed mainly on the leaves of the milkweed family (Euphorbiaceae). But they are also found on other food crops, leading to the plant families Knöterichgewächsen (z. B. (Polygonaceae) dock ), plumbago plants (Plumbaginaceae) thick sheet plants (Crassulaceae), Flax Family (Linaceae), daisy family (Asteraceae), Rushes (Juncaceae) and Sweet grasses (Poaceae) belong. The pupa hibernates.

Danger

The species occurs only very locally in Germany , is completely absent in some areas or has been lost and is listed in Category 1 (threatened with extinction) on the Red List of Endangered Species .

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Red Lists
  2. ↑ a b Fibiger et al. (2009: p. 38/9)
  3. ^ A b Arno Bergmann: The large butterflies of Central Germany. Volume 4/1: Owls. Distribution, forms and communities. Urania-Verlag, Jena 1954, DNB 450378373 .
  4. ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany. Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9

literature

  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 6. Moth IV (Noctuidae 2nd part). Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-8001-3482-9 .
  • 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
  • Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 .

annotation

  1. ↑ The German names are unusual. Neither the Lepiforum nor the work "The Butterflies of Baden-Württemberg" give trivial names.

Web links

Commons : Slanted-wing welted owl  - album with pictures, videos and audio files