Violet-gray gray owl
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Violet-gray gray owl ( Nola cucullatella ) |
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| Nola cucullatella | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The violet-gray gray owl ( Nola cucullatella ), also called hedge gray spider or hedge small bear, is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae).
features
The moths reach a wingspan of 16 to 21 millimeters and are on average larger than Nola tutulella . The antennae of the males are double combed, those of the females are thread-like. The labial palps are short, elongated and directed slightly downwards. The head, thorax and wings have a gray basic color. The basal field of the forewings is colored dark gray in front of the conspicuous inner transverse line. It can resemble a cloak thrown over the shoulder ( Latin cucullatus - with a hood). The cross lines are black, the outer cross line is narrow and jagged. The two center lines are in the direction of Costa loader closer to each other than in Nola tutulella . The hind wings are gray, the discal patch is indistinct or absent. The undersides of the forewings are solid brown. The undersides of the hind wings are lighter, dirty gray and have a small discal spot.
In the males, the tegumen and the extremely wide vinculum are very short. The tegumen is as long as the vinculum. The saccus (basal part of the valves ) is short, wide and triangular. The scaphium , part of the male genital apparatus, has two extremely long, parallel, rod-shaped structures. The blades are relatively short. The cucullus ( distal part of the valves) is deeply split and bilobed, the costa and the very short ventral edge are heavily sclerotized , straight and rounded at both tips. The digitus (a sclerotized structure in the distal third of the valve) protrudes and is narrowly triangular. The ventral lobe is drawn out into a small thorn. The saccule is narrow and half as wide as the valves. The clamp organ (clasper) is short and lies parallel to the ventral edge of the valve. The right ampulla is angled towards the clamp organ. It is very wide, consistently plate-like and twice as wide as long. It is S-shaped and jagged on both sides. The editum is well developed and is located near the base of the Costa. The transtilla is short and heavily sclerotized. The juxta is shield-like, higher than it is long and deeply split dorsally . The aedeagus is almost straight and seven times as long as it is wide. The cecum is short and narrower than the rest of the aedeagus. The vesica is as wide as the aedeagus and provided with a long, pointed cornutus.
In females, the ovipositor is short, broad and hairy. The posterior apophyses are slightly longer than the ovipositor. The anterior apophyses including the triangular base are 1.5 times as long as the eighth abdominal segment. The ostium bursae is very large, round and heavily sclerotized. It is located in the middle of the eighth abdominal segment. The bursal duct is triangular and heavily sclerotized. It is a little longer than it is wide. The corpus bursae is large, egg-shaped and membranous. It is provided with a small extension at the front. There are two signs on the corpus bursae, these are plate-like and have a thorn. The apendix bursae arises near the anterior end of the ductus bursae.
The caterpillars are short and thick and about 14 millimeters long. The back line is whitish. The caterpillar body is provided with many small warts that can be gray, yellowish, pink or orange in color. The hair is whitish or blackish and short. The head is black and shiny.
Similar species
With the exception of N. tutulella, Nola cuculletella can be easily distinguished from other European species of the genus Nola by the drawing of the fore wings . In addition, the S-shaped ampulla, the long, thorn-like cornutus and the long, heavily sclerotized ductus bursae are characteristic.
The two species N. tutulella and N. cucullatella are outwardly very similar. The basal field is less dark gray in N. tutulella and the distinctive inner transverse line is less curved, especially on the Costa loader . There are striking differences in the genital fittings of the males and females. The sacculus of N. tutulella is the longest of the European Nolini species and more than twice as long as that of N. cucullatella . The corrugated S-shaped ampulla of N. cucullatella differs from the straight ampulla of N. tutulella . The juxta of N. tutulella is shorter than that of N. cucullatella . The aedeagus of N. tutulella is slightly shorter and straighter than that of N. cucullatella . The cornutus of N. tutulella has a broad base, that of N. cucullatella is thorn-like. The ductus bursae is much longer in N. cucullatella . In N. tutulella the corpus bursae has two signs, while in N. cucullatella there are no signs.
distribution
Nola cucullatella is widespread in Europe. In the north the distribution area extends to England and to the south of Scandinavia . Outside of Europe, the species is found along the North African coast, in the Middle East , in Turkey and in the Caucasus . In the east, the distribution area extends to Iran . Some evidence, especially in northwestern Africa, may be N. tutulella .
biology
Nola cucullatella inhabits semi-open forests, forests and parks with shrubs on which the caterpillars develop. The females lay the eggs on the underside of the leaves, the caterpillars hatch in August. The caterpillars feed on blackthorn ( Prunus spinosa ), plum ( Prunus domestica ), rowanberry ( Sorbus aucuparia ), apple trees ( Malus ), pears ( Pyrus ) and hawthorn ( Crataegus ). They feed only a short time after hatching and then hide in cracks in the bark, where they overwinter covered with a few silk threads. They continue to develop in April or May and are fully grown in early July. They pupate on a branch in a firm, boat-shaped cocoon covered with bits of bark that have been bitten off. The moths fly in one generation from June to August and come to light .
Since they were perceived as pests on apple trees, the outwardly rather inconspicuous animals attracted the interest of naturalists early on, so Johann Leonhard Frisch (1721) and August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof (1746) made pictures and descriptions.
Systematics
The following synonyms are known from the literature :
- Phalaena Tinea cucullatella Linnaeus , 1758
- Phalaena cucullatella Linnaeus , 1758
- Phalaena Tinea ludvigella Müller , 1764
- Noctua palliola [Denis & Schiffermüller] , 1775
- Phalaena pygmaria Fabricius , 1794
- Pyralis palliolalis Huebner , 1796
- Pyralis cucullatalis Haworth , 1811
- Roeselia cucullatana Huebner , [1825]
- Nola cucullatella var. Fuliginalis Stephens , 1834
- Nola palliolana Duponchel , [1845]
- Nola cucullalis Doubleday , 1848
Hazard and protection
It was found that the use of poison in fruit growing certainly harms the caterpillars, but most of the caterpillars were found on blackthorn. In Germany the species is not endangered (status 2007).
supporting documents
- ^ A b Axel Steiner, Ulrich Ratzel, Morten Top-Jensen, Michael Fibiger: Die Nachtfalter Deutschlands. A field leader. Bugbook Publishing, 2014, ISBN 978-3-00-043862-2 , p. 369.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Michael Fibiger, Lásló Ronkay, Axel Steiner, Alberto Zilli: Noctuidae Europaeae. Volume 11: Pantheinae, Dilobinae, Acronictinae, Eustrotiinae, Nolinae, Bagisarinae, Acontiinae, Metoponiinae, Heliothinae, and Bryophilinae. Entomological Press, Sorø 2009, ISBN 978-87-89430-14-0 , pp. 117-118.
- ^ A b David J. Carter, Brian Hargreaves: Caterpillars and butterflies of Europe and their forage plants . 1st edition. Paul Parey, Hamburg and Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-490-13918-6 , pp. 133 (Original title: A field guide to caterpillars of butterflies and moths in Britain and Europe . Translated by Alexander Pelzer).
- ↑ a b Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 4: Moths II (Bombycidae, Endromidae, Lasiocampidae, Lemoniidae, Saturniidae, Sphingidae, Drepanidae, Notodontidae, Dilobidae, Lymantriidae, Ctenuchidae, Nolidae). Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-8001-3474-8 , pp. 479-482.
- ^ Bernard Skinner, The Color Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles (Macrolepidoptera). Penguin Books, 1998, ISBN 0-670-87978-9 , p. 86.
- ^ Nola cucullatella in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved January 5, 2015
- ↑ Volker Wachlin, Ralf Bolz: Red list and list of total species of owl butterflies, bearer moths and gray owls (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) of Germany. 2007. In: Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Nature Conservation and Biological Diversity Issue 70 (3). Red list of endangered animals, plants and fungi in Germany. Volume 3: Invertebrates (Part 1). Bonn / Bad Godesberg 2011, ISBN 978-3-7843-5231-2 , p. 222.
- ↑ Butterflies of Germany. Christian Tolasch, accessed January 6, 2015 .
Web links
- Nola cucullatella (LINNAEUS, 1758) - hedge small bear, hedge gray spider. Lepiforum e. V .: Determination aid of the Lepiforum for the butterfly species found in Germany, Austria and Switzerland., Accessed on January 5, 2015 .