Silver-gray nettle-humped owl
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Silver-gray nettle-humped owl ( Abrostola tripartita ) |
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| Abrostola tripartita | ||||||||||||
| ( Hufnagel , 1766) |
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The silver-gray nettle-humped owl ( Abrostola tripartita ) is a butterfly from the family of owl butterflies (Noctuidae) that is widespread in almost all of Europe .
features
Abrostola tripartita is often confused with other Abrostola species, such as the dark gray nettle-humped owl ( Abrostola triplasia ) or the swallow-root owl ( Abrostola asclepiadis ). Differentiating these types is difficult even for experts and can sometimes only be done through a genital examination .
The high-contrast light to dark gray moth is the smallest of its genus with a wingspan of 27–30 mm, its front wing, however, is relatively wide. In contrast to the other species, the wing tip is not so far forward. The middle field is darker than the edge field, which can be whitish to medium gray. The scales of the black to silver rimmed blemishes are partially erect. The basal field has silver-gray and rarely also yellow interferences. On both sides of the wavy line, black veins form strong apical spots at the wing tip. Darkened specimens, which are smoke gray to black in color, also occur.
Way of life
The flight time of the moths, which fly in two generations, begins, depending on the region, in April to May and ends in September to October. The species is relatively common and not threatened. As far as the habitat is concerned, the species is quite undemanding, only the caterpillar forage plant, namely nettles only , should be present in large quantities. The species overwinters as a pupa .
Name change
There is confusion on various websites and in some literature about the genus Abrostola , since both silver-gray Abrostola tripartita and dark-gray Abrostola triplasia were represented in the Linnaeus collection under the name Phalaena Noctua triplasia , which is why the dark gray Abrostola species in A. trigemina in 1864 was renamed. It was not until 1993 that Mikkola & Honey , who carried out a meticulous analysis of Linnaeus 'material, established which specimens of the Abrostola species were later added to the collection and which originated from Linnaeus' time. As a result, the current name Abrostola tripartita prevailed for the silver-gray species and the original name Abrostola triplasia for the dark gray species from the mid-1990s .
supporting documents
- ↑ UKmoths , Abrostola tripartita
- ↑ a b Lepiforum , Abrostola tripartita
- ↑ Butterfly caterpillar , Abrostola tripartita
- ↑ Mikkola, K. & Honey, MR (1993): The Noctuoidea (Lepidoptera) described by Linnaeus. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 108: page 103–169
literature
- Barry Goater, Lázló Ronkay & Michael Fibiger: Catocalinae & Plusiinae. In: Martin Honey & Michael Fibiger (eds.): Noctuidae Europaeae. Volume 10, Entomological Press, Sorø 2003, ISBN 87-89430-08-5 .
Web links
- Abrostola tripartita at Fauna Europaea. Retrieved August 29, 2013