Beach grass owl

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Beach grass owl
Beach grass owl (Mythimna litoralis)

Beach grass owl ( Mythimna litoralis )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Hadeninae
Genre : Mythimna
Type : Beach grass owl
Scientific name
Mythimna littoralis
( Curtis , 1827)
Moth with a brown base color

The beach grass owl ( Mythimna litoralis ), sometimes also referred to as the beach grass white-armed owl , is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae).

description

butterfly

The wingspan of the moth is 33 to 41 millimeters. The basic color of the upper side of the forewing varies from brown to straw yellow, and beige to ocher. A black root welt stands out clearly. The vein under the cell is conspicuously white to the outer edge . Cross lines and blemishes are missing. The upper side of the hind wing is glossy white.

Caterpillar

Adult caterpillars have a reddish yellow, sometimes green-gray basic color. They show a thin, light, brown bordered back line, blackish side back lines and a light side stripe. The spiracles are black.

Similar species

Mythimna albiradiosa is smaller and much lighter colored on the upper side of the fore wing. Since this speciesoccursin Siberia , there is no geographical overlap with Mythimna litoralis .

distribution and habitat

The beach grass owl occurs in the coastal regions of Morocco , Portugal , Spain and France , on the coasts of the North and Baltic Seas and those of the British Isles . It inhabits bank, beach and dune landscapes. The scientific name of the species is derived from this habitat ( Latin: littus = coast. In older literature, the species epithet is sometimes also written littoralis ).

Way of life

The moths fly in one generation a year and can be found between June and August. They are nocturnal and fly to artificial light sources . The caterpillars appear in September, overwinter and pupate in May of the following year. They feed on the leaves of the common beach oaf ( Ammophila arenaria ).

Danger

The beach grass owl only occurs on the coasts in Germany, but is in decline due to increasing tourism on the beaches and is therefore included in the red list of endangered species on the “warning list”.

swell

literature

  • Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 .
  • Hermann Hacker, László Ronkay and Márton Hreblay: Noctuidae Europaeae vol. 4 Hadeninae I . Entomological, Sorø 2002, ISBN 87-894-30-07-7 .
  • Ernst and Herta Urbahn: The Butterflies of Pomerania with a comparative overview of the Baltic Sea region , Entomological Association of Stettin, Stettin 1939
  • Manfred Koch : We determine butterflies. Volume 3: Owls of Germany. Neumann, Radebeul / Berlin 1958, DNB 452481937 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Hermann Hacker, László Ronkay, Márton Hreblay: Noctuidae Europaeae vol. 4 Hadeninae I . Entomological Press, Sorø 2002, ISBN 87-894-30-07-7 .
  2. ^ A b Walter Forster, Theodor A. Wohlfahrt: The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 .
  3. ↑ Guide to the moths of Great Britain and Ireland. Shore Wainscot Mythimna litoralis (Curtis, 1827). Ian Kimber, accessed November 8, 2014 .
  4. ^ Arnold Spuler: The butterflies of Europe . Volume 1, E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagbuchhandlung, Stuttgart (E. Nägele), 1908.
  5. ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany. Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9 .

Web links

Commons : Beach Grass Owl  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files