Black-spotted autumn owl

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Black-spotted autumn owl
Black-spotted autumn owl (Agrochola litura), reddish brown color variant

Black-spotted autumn owl ( Agrochola litura ),
reddish brown color variant

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Xyleninae
Genre : Agrochola
Type : Black-spotted autumn owl
Scientific name
Agrochola litura
( Linnaeus , 1760)
Copy with color split
Caterpillar

The black- spotted autumn owl ( Agrochola litura ), sometimes also called the bush border autumn owl , is a butterfly from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae). The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word litura with the meaning "smear" or "spot" and refers to the black costal spots on the upper side of the forewing of the butterfly.

features

butterfly

The wingspan of the moth is 26 to 35 millimeters. The basic color of the upper side of the forewing varies from red-brown to purple-gray. In some specimens, a split in color can be seen, which is formed by the dark central shadow into a light inner and a darker outer half. Small black-brown spots stand out on the front edge . The wavy line ends at the front edge in a large triangular black spot. Ring and kidney defects are outlined in yellow. The ring blemish is brownish, the kidney blemish is filled with blackish color. The upper side of the hind wing is colored dark gray without drawing.

Caterpillar

The caterpillars are green or red-brown in color. The back and side back lines stand out thinly whitish. The entire surface of the body is covered with many very small white dots. The wide side stripe is white, the spiracles are also white.

Similar species

The changeable autumn owl ( Agrochola lychnidis ) differs primarily in its very small, always blackish, ring blemishes.

distribution and habitat

The distribution of the black-spotted autumn owl extends through central Europe to the west and south of Siberia . It also occurs from Asia Minor to Armenia . In the Alps , it rises to around 1500 meters. Habitat are forest edges, clearings, heathland areas, riparian areas as well as gardens and park landscapes.

Way of life

The moths fly from early August to late October. They are nocturnal and appear on artificial light sources as well as baits and have also been observed sucking on the flowers of butterfly lilac ( Buddleja davidii ). The species overwinters in the egg stage. The caterpillars are polyphagous from April to June. They feed on a variety of different plants, including: Sal willow ( Salix caprea ), blackthorn ( Prunus spinosa ), privet ( Ligustrum ), gorse ( Genista ), blueberries ( Vaccinium ), glue herbs ( Silene ), dock ( Rumex ) , Clover ( Trifolium ), nettles ( Urtica ) and dead nettles ( Lamium ). The aforementioned food plants give an impression of their versatility. The list can, however, be expanded considerably.

Danger

The species is widespread in Germany, sometimes numerous, and is classified as “not endangered” on the Red List of Endangered Species .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Arnold Spuler: The butterflies of Europe . tape 1 . E. Schweitzerbartsche Verlagbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1908, p. 249 .
  2. ↑ a b László Ronkay, José Luis Yela, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 5. , Sorø, 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9 , p. 99
  3. ↑ Markku Savela: distribution. In: Lepidoptera and some other life forms. Accessed January 21, 2020 (English).
  4. ↑ Walter Forster, Theodor A. Wohlfahrt: The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 , p. 216
  5. ↑ Manfred Koch: We identify butterflies. Volume 3: Owls. 2nd, expanded edition. , Neumann Verlag, Leipzig / Radebeul, 1972, pp. 152/153
  6. ↑ a b Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. 1st edition. Volume 6. Moths IV. Noctuidae 2nd part. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1997, ISBN 3-8001-3482-9 , pp. 435-438
  7. ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany. , Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster, 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9

literature

  • László Ronkay, José Luis Yela, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 5. , Sorø, 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9
  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. 1st edition. Volume 6. Moths IV. Noctuidae 2nd part. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1997, ISBN 3-8001-3482-9
  • Walter Forster, Theodor A. Wohlfahrt: The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5

Web links

Commons : Black Spotted Autumn Owl  - Collection of images, videos and audio files