Purplish brown elm owl

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Purplish brown elm owl
Cosmia pyralina.jpg

Violet-brown elm owl ( Cosmia pyralina )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Xyleninae
Genre : Cosmia
Type : Purplish brown elm owl
Scientific name
Cosmia pyralina
( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775)

The purple-brown elm owl ( Cosmia pyralina ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae).

features

butterfly

The moths have a wingspan of 28 to 32 millimeters and a strong violet-brown to dark red-brown or wine-red colored fore wing. Wavy and cross lines are darkened, but are often not very prominent. There is a whitish slash at the apex . The fringing area is slightly brightened. Ring, kidney and cone flaws are blurred and only hinted at. The hind wings are uniformly gray-brown and have lighter fringes.

Caterpillar, pupa

The caterpillars are green in color, with white back and side back lines and a yellowish side stripe. There are also some white spots. The doll is light brown in color, shows bluish tires and has two downwardly curved thorns on the cremaster .

Similar species

  • Typical of the red-brown elm owl ( Cosmia affinis ) are two white spots on the costal edge of the forewings. The very dark colored hind wings are also striking.
  • In the white-spotted elm owl ( Cosmia diffinis ) as well as in Cosmia confinis , white spots appear brightly on the costal edge, whereas the whitish slash at the apex is missing.

distribution

The species is widespread in Central Europe, in the north to Central England and the southern part of Fennoscandinavia , south to northern Spain and central Italy and east through Bulgaria to the Caucasus and further through Asia to Korea and Japan . In the Alps it rises to 1,600 meters. The purple-brown elm owl is mainly found in mixed forests, floodplains and valleys, but also on orchards and in gardens and parks.

Way of life

The main flight time for the moths is from June to August. They are nocturnal and visit artificial light sources and bait . The caterpillars, which are not so tied to elms ( Ulmus ) as affinis and diffinis , also serve as forage plants , as well as various fruit trees as well as willows ( Salix ), oaks ( Quercus ) and other deciduous trees. They live from May to June and are considered murder caterpillars , i.e. In other words, they attack caterpillars of other species, and occasionally even conspecifics, and suck them up, both in nature, but especially when breeding in confined spaces. This behavior is also known, for example, from the caterpillars of the related trapezoid owl ( Cosmia trapezina ) and other Cosmia species. They pupate in a web between parts of plants. The egg hibernates.

Danger

The species is widespread in Germany, only rare in a few regions and is classified as not endangered on the Red List of Endangered Species .

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Fibiger and Hermann Hacker: Noctuidae Europaeae Volume 9 Amphipyrinae, Condicinae, Eriopinae, Xyleninae (part). , Entomological Press, Sorø 2007 ISBN 87-89430-11-5
  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. ↑ Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg, Volume 6, Nachtfalter IV. , Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1997 (Eulen (Noctuidae) 2nd part), ISBN 3-8001-3482-9
  4. ↑ Arno Bergmann: The large butterflies of Central Germany. Volume 4/2: Owls. Distribution, forms and communities. Urania-Verlag, Jena 1954, DNB 450378381 .
  5. ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany. Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9

literature

  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg, Volume 6, Nachtfalter IV. , Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1997 (Eulen (Noctuidae) 2nd part), ISBN 3-8001-3482-9
  • Michael Fibiger and Hermann Hacker: Noctuidae Europaeae Volume 9 Amphipyrinae, Condicinae, Eriopinae, Xyleninae (part). , Entomological Press, Sorø 2007 ISBN 87-89430-11-5
  • 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 : Violet Brown Elm Owl  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files