Mutable herb owl

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Mutable herb owl
Black-brown color variant of the changeable herb owl (Lacanobia suasa)

Black-brown color variant of the changeable herb owl ( Lacanobia suasa )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Hadeninae
Genre : Lacanobia
Type : Mutable herb owl
Scientific name
Lacanobia suasa
( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775)
Brown color variant
Caterpillar

The mutable herb owl ( Lacanobia (Dianobia) suasa ), also known as the rubble-leaf owl , is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae).

features

butterfly

The wingspan of the moth is 32 to 39 millimeters. As the common name suggests, the butterflies are extremely variable in terms of color and drawing. The color of the upper side of the forewing ranges from ocher to gray and red-brown to black-brown. Kidney, ring and cone blemishes sometimes appear clearly, but can also be very indistinct. In light-colored specimens, the cone blemish is often deep black. Cross lines and arrow spots are mostly not recognizable or are missing entirely. The clearest distinguishing feature is the whitish, mostly clearly protruding wavy line, the large W symbol of which extends into the fringes. The upper side of the hind wing is colored light gray-brown without drawing. The dark veins protrude a little. There is a dark discoid spot on the underside of the hind wing .

egg

The spherical egg is flattened at the base and covered with strong, slightly wavy ribs. It has a whitish color and is provided with a pale red-brown band and an equally colored central spot.

Caterpillar

The color of the caterpillars varies from greenish or yellowish to reddish brown. They have an indistinct dark back line with also dark slashes. They also show wide whitish or yellowish side stripes that are set off in black towards the top. The spiracles are outlined in white and black.

Doll

The red-brown doll has a cremaster slightly dented at the base , which is provided with two end spines.

Similar species

In the black-line herb owl ( Lacanobia thalassina ), which is also very variable in color , the slightly smaller W-sign usually does not reach the fringes. The moths are also more colorful in their overall appearance and show a black root welt.

Synonyms

  • Phalaena dissimilis bone , 1781

distribution and habitat

The species is distributed in Europe with an extension from the Pyrenees north and east through Central Europe and the temperate zone to East Asia. It is also found in the British Isles . In the mountains it rises to an altitude of around 1800 meters. The main habitat are semi-arid grassland areas , meadow valleys, gardens, floodplain and mixed forest edges, as well as rubble and rubble heaps.

Way of life

The nocturnal moths form two generations a year, which can be found from late April to early July and from late July to mid-September. They occasionally suckle at the flowers of tansy ( Tanacetum vulgare ), clematis ( Clematis vitalba ) or butterfly lilac ( Buddleja davidii ), appear at artificial light sources and also like bait . The eggs are laid in large numbers on the food plant. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of various low plants, such as Klee - ( Trifolium ), sweet clover - ( Melilotus ), plantain - ( Plantago ), cos - ( Lactuca ), sorrel - ( Rumex ), Log - ( Atriplex ) and Vogelknötericharten ( Polygonum ). The species overwinters as a pupa.

Danger

The changeable herb owl is widespread in Germany, can be found in large numbers in some areas and is not considered endangered.

Systematics and taxonomy

The genus Lacanobia is described by Hacker et al. (2002) divided into three sub-genera. Lacanobia suasa belongs to the subgenus Dianobia .

swell

literature

  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The Butterflies of Baden-Württemberg , Volume 7, Nachtfalter V, Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-8001-3500-0
  • Hermann Hacker, László Ronkay & Márton Hreblay: Noctuidae Europaeae Volume 4, Hadeninae I, Entomological Press, Søro 2002, ISBN 87-89430-07-7
  • Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 .
  • Arno Bergmann: The large butterflies of Central Germany. Volume 4/1: Owls. Distribution, forms and communities. Urania-Verlag, Jena 1954, DNB 450378373 .
  • Manfred Koch : We determine butterflies. Volume 3: Owls. 2nd, expanded edition. Neumann, Leipzig / Radebeul 1972, DNB 760072930 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Hermann Hacker, László Ronkay & Márton Hreblay: Noctuidae Europaeae Volume 4, Hadeninae I, Entomological Press, Søro 2002, ISBN 87-89430-07-7
  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. ↑ a b Günter Ebert (Ed.): The Butterflies of Baden-Württemberg , Volume 7, Nachtfalter V. Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-8001-3500-0
  4. ↑ UKmoths

Web links

Commons : Mutable Herb Owl  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files