Triangle floor owl

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Triangle floor owl
Xestia triangulum FvL.jpg

Triangle ground owl ( Xestia triangulum )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Noctuinae
Genre : Xestia
Type : Triangle floor owl
Scientific name
Xestia triangulum
( Hufnagel , 1766)
Triangle ground owl caterpillar

The triangle ground owl ( Xestia triangulum ), also called triangle ground owl , is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae).

features

butterfly

The moths reach a wingspan of 36 to 48 millimeters. The forewings are comparatively broad and light brown, yellow-brown or ocher-brown in color. A small, black spot appears in the root field. There are conspicuous black spots between the ring and kidney flaws and the inner transverse line, which are sometimes connected in a C-shape. The outer transverse line is thin and doubled. A black spot can be seen on the costal edge in front of the wavy line. The hind wings are brown-gray without drawing.

Egg, caterpillar, pupa

The egg is hemispherical, ribbed and greenish in color. Adult caterpillars have a gray-brown basic color, a light, thin topline and a brownish marbling. A few larger dark spots can be seen on the rearmost segments. The doll is characterized by a reddish brown color and two long, straight thorns on the cremaster .

Similar species

There is a great similarity to the trapezoid ground owl ( Xestia ditrapezium ) and, to a lesser extent , to the East Asian species Xestia kollari . However, these two species differ both in a narrower wing shape and in dark brown or purple-brown tints of the forewing basic color.

Distribution and occurrence

The species occurs in almost all of Europe, with the exception of Portugal, the Mediterranean islands and the northernmost part of Fennoscandinavia. In the east the distribution extends to Siberia , in the southeast to the Black Sea and Iran . In the Alps it rises to an altitude of around 2000 meters. The triangular ground owl prefers to inhabit the edges of forests, hillsides overgrown with bushes, heather areas as well as gardens and park landscapes.

Way of life

The nocturnal moths mainly fly from May to August in one generation per year. You will visit artificial light sources and bait , and occasionally the flowers of the butterfly lilac ( Buddleja davidii ) or the yellow gentian ( Gentiana lutea ). The caterpillars can be found from September. They feed on various low plants, these include:

They overwinter and pupate in a cave in May of the following year.

Danger

The triangular ground owl is usually found in large numbers in all federal states in Germany and is listed as not endangered on the red list of endangered species .

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Fibiger: Noctuinae II . In: WG Tremewan (Ed.): Noctuidae Europaeae . 1st edition. tape 2 . Entomological Press, Sorø 1993, ISBN 87-89430-02-6 (English).
  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. ↑ a b Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . 1st edition. tape 7 . Moth V Noctuidae 3rd part. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1998, ISBN 3-8001-3500-0 .
  4. ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany . Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9 .

literature

  • Michael Fibiger: Noctuinae II . In: WG Tremewan (Ed.): Noctuidae Europaeae . 1st edition. tape 2 . Entomological Press, Sorø 1993, ISBN 87-89430-02-6 (English).
  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . 1st edition. tape 7 . Moth V Noctuidae 3rd part. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1998, ISBN 3-8001-3500-0 .

Web links

Commons : Triangle Floor Owl ( Xestia triangulum )  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files