Black C

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Black C
Black C (Xestia c-nigrum)

Black C ( Xestia c-nigrum )

Systematics
Subfamily : Noctuinae
Tribe : Noctuini
Sub tribus : Noctuina
Genre : Xestia
Subgenus : Megasema
Type : Black C
Scientific name
Xestia c-nigrum
( Linnaeus , 1758)
Young caterpillar of Xestia c-nigrum
Adult caterpillar after wintering in spring

The black C ( Xestia c-nigrum ), also called black C-earth owl or C-owl , is a moth from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae).

features

The moths have a wingspan of 35 to 45 mm. The moths of the first generation are on average somewhat larger. The antennae are finely covered with cilia . The color of the forewings varies from light brown to dark brown. Inner and outer transverse lines are weak and jagged. The inner or root field is usually contrasted in color from the middle field; it is often gray. In the outer middle field there is a kidney defect. Between the kidney flaw and the inner transverse line there is a striking black C, the concave curve of which is filled with white. Hence the name of the moth comes from. There is a black spot in the costal part of the fringe area. The hind wings are light gray; they get a little darker towards the seam area.

The egg is hemispherical with a strongly flattened base. It measures 0.5mm in height and 0.65-0.7mm in diameter. It is initially yellowish-white in color. With increasing development, a wine-colored spot forms at the top and a wine-colored band around the middle of the egg. Shortly before the egg caterpillar hatches, it turns gray, and the apical spot also turns gray-wine-red. The upper two thirds of the surface of the egg are covered with 24 to 26 strong longitudinal ribs, 11 to 13 of which reach the micropyl region . The transverse ribs are weaker and are close together.

The caterpillar is gray to red-brown, often drowned out slightly black. The back line is narrow and light; the secondary back lines are also highlighted. From the 4th segment on, black, yellow-framed points are formed next to the back line. In front of the 12th segment, a light line across the back. The yellowish side stripes are relatively wide and darken towards the back. The head is yellow-brown and has a darker grid pattern.

The pupa is red-brown with a short, thorn-shaped cremaster.

Geographical distribution and habitat

The species is distributed throughout Europe with the exception of northern Scandinavia and northern Russia. The Central European populations are increased every year by moths migrating from the south and south-east. The range of the species extends over almost the entire Palearctic from the northern tropic to almost the arctic circle. Whether the species also occurs in the Nearctic is a taxonomic problem (see below).

The species occurs in open terrain and in settlement areas. However, it largely avoids forested regions. In the Alps, the species rises up to 1800 m. It is one of the most common species of owl butterfly in Central Europe.

Way of life

The black C forms two somewhat overlapping generations per year, the moths of which fly from late April to late July and from early July to mid-October. Three generations are regularly formed in the south of the distribution area. The moths visit flowers and can be baited with sugar . They come to the light and are very fond of hiking. The eggs are laid in single-layer small groups on a variety of herbaceous plants , grasses, perennials and shrubs. Steiner (1998) lists the following types:

The caterpillars overwinter. They can therefore be found from September and the following year to April (first generation) and from June to July (second generation). Five to seven larval stages are formed.

Synonyms and taxonomy

According to the great variability in coloring and drawing, there are a large number of synonyms. The species can often be found in recent literature under the name Amathes c-nigrum . Amathes Hübner, 1821 is a younger, subjective synonym of Xestia Hübner, 1818.

Very similar populations in North America were originally set to X. c-nigrum before Franclemont (1980) separated them as two separate species, Xestia adela and Xestia dolosa . Mikkola, Lafontaine & Kononenko (1991) have again synonymous Xestia dolosa with c-nigrum , while Fibiger (1993) recognizes Xestia dolosa as a separate species, but places Xestia adela as a subspecies of X. c-nigrum . In contrast, Kankare et al. (2002) based on genetic differences again based on the existence of three independent species, X. c-nigrum , X. dolosa and X. adela . The differently acting sex pheromones also indicate a specific separation of the North American and Eurasian populations.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Red lists at Science4you
  2. ↑ a b c Fibiger (1993: p. 156–158)
  3. ↑ Dolinskaya & Geryak (2010: p. 27)
  4. ^ Forster & Wohlfahrt (1971: p. 53/4)
  5. ↑ Axel Steiner in Steiner & Ebert (1998: pp. 445-447)
  6. ↑ Toomas Esperk, Toomas Tammaru, Sören Nylin and Tiit Teder: Achieving high sexual size dimorphism in insects: females add instars. Ecological Entomology, 32: 243-256, 2007 doi : 10.1111 / j.1365-2311.2007.00872.x
  7. ↑ K. Mikkola, JD Lafontaine, VS Kononenko: Zoogeography of the Holarctic species of the Noctuidae (Lepidoptera): importance of the Beringian refuge. Entomologica fennica, 2: 157-173, 1991
  8. ↑ Maaria Kankare, Gergely Várkonyi and Ilik Saccheri: Genetic differentiation between alternate-year cohorts of Xestia tecta (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in Finnish Lapland. Hereditas, 136: 169-176, 2002 doi : 10.1034 / j.1601-5223.2002.1360213.x
  9. ↑ M. Subchev, M. Toth, G. Szocs, G. Stan and A. Botar: Evidence for geographical differences in pheromonal responses of male Amathes c-nigrum L. (Lep., Noctuidae). Journal of Applied Entomology, 120 (1-5): 615-617, 1996 doi : 10.1111 / j.1439-0418.1996.tb01660.x

literature

  • Arno Bergmann: The large butterflies of Central Germany. Volume 4/1: Owls. Distribution, forms and communities. Urania-Verlag, Jena 1954, DNB 450378373 .
  • IV Dolinskaya, Yu. A. Geryak: The Chorionic Sculpture of the Eggs of Some Noctuinae (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) from Ukraine. Vestnik zoologii, 44 (5): 421-432, 2010 doi : 10.2478 / v10058-010-0028-4
  • Michael Fibiger: Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 2 Noctuinae II. Entomological Press, Sorø, 1993, ISBN 87-89430-02-6
  • Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 .
  • Axel Steiner and Günter Ebert: The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg Volume 7, Nachtfalter V (Owls (Noctuidae) 3rd part), Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1998. ISBN 3-8001-3500-0

Web links

Commons : Black C  album with pictures, videos and audio files