Warnecke's heather moor sun owl
| Warnecke's heather moor sun owl | ||||||||||||
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Warnecke's heather moor sun owl ( Heliothis maritima ) |
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| Heliothis maritima | ||||||||||||
| ( de Graslin , 1855) |
Warnecke's Heidemoor-Sonneneule ( Heliothis maritima ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae). The German name honors the Hamburg district court director and entomologist Georg Warnecke .
features
The wingspan of the moth is about 28 to 32 millimeters. With the nominate form ssp. maritima , (Graslin, 1855) the drawing elements on the forewing vary from moderately high-contrast with greenish bands on a light beige-greenish base color to washed out on an almost rust-red base color (from Ferruginea Spuler, 1907). The rust-red base color also extends to the hind wings and abdomen . At the ssp. warneckei (Boursin, 1963) the drawing elements are more contrasting, the basic color is beige-greenish, reddish elements are missing. The drawing consists of dark green and black bandages, a clearly visible kidney flaw and a varying degree of black overdust. The dark central shadow runs diagonally towards the rear edge. A dark wedge spot can be seen near the apex . On the yellow hind wings there is a large black discal spot and a broad, dark band with a yellow spot directly on the edge. The fringes are colored light yellow.
Similar species
- The cardinal sun owl ( Heliothis viriplaca ) differs in the middle band that almost straight converges towards the rear edge, the extended middle shadow on the inner edge and the somewhat wider fore wings. A reliable differentiation is possible by examining the genital system.
Geographical distribution and habitat
The range of Warnecke's heather moor sun owl is disjoint . The ssp. maritima occurs in the coastal areas of southwest France, the ssp. warneckei in southern England (Hampshire, Dorset and Surrey) and from the Belgian-French border area along the North Sea coast to Denmark. There are very different areas of information in the literature. They are explained by the fact that central and south-eastern European inland populations, as determined by Fibiger et al. (2009) to Heliothis adaucta , were previously included in Heliothis maritima .
The species occurs mainly in dune landscapes, heathland areas and salt marshes in coastal areas or in Pleistocene sand areas further inland.
Way of life
The species forms two generations a year in the south, their moths fly in May and June as well as in July and August. In Great Britain, as well as in northwest Germany and Denmark, on the other hand, only one generation is formed whose moths fly from July to August. The moths are diurnal and nocturnal, fly in hot sunshine and visit flowers. At night they come to artificial light sources. The caterpillars prefer to feed on the flowers and seeds of various plants. These include chickweed ( Spergularia spp.), Common heather ( Calluna vulgaris ), various types of heather ( Erica spp.), Beach aster ( Tripolium pannonicum ), Limonium leptostachyum and leg breaker ( Narthecium ossifragum ). For England, Ian Kimber mentions bell heather ( Erica tetralix ) and common heather ( Calluna ). The species overwinters as a pupa .
Danger
The species is on the Red List of Endangered Species of the Federal Republic of Germany in category 1 (threatened with extinction) or M (Irrgast). A sharp decline in the population has been observed in the Netherlands since 1990.
Systematics and taxonomy
The species is described by Fibiger et al. (2009) divided into two subspecies:
- Heliothis maritima maritima de Graslin, 1855, restricted to southwest France, base color lighter, often reddish, drawing not as rich in contrast, often washed out, forewings a little wider, apex not as pointed
- Heliothis maritima warneckei (Boursin, 1963), southern England, the North Sea coast from the Franco-Belgian border area to Denmark, fore wing a little slimmer, apex a little more pointed, drawing mostly more contrasting, often a little darker, on the hind wing the black drawing elements are larger and more sharply drawn .
The subspecies Heliothis maritima bulgarica Draudt, 1938, H. maritima centralasiae Draudt, 1938 and H. maritima angarensis Draudt, 1938 were identified by Fibiger et al. (2009) Heliothis adaucta Butler, assigned in 1878 and associated with the nominate subspecies.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Fibiger et al. (2009: pp. 243–345)
- ↑ a b c UKMoths website by Ian Kimber
- ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany . Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9 .
- ↑ Dick Groenendijk and Jippe van der Meulen: Conservation of moths in The Netherlands: population trends, distribution patterns and monitoring techniques of day-flying moths. Journal of Insect Conservation 8: 109-118, 2004.
literature
- Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg . 1st edition. tape 6 . Moth IV. Noctuidae 2nd part. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1997, ISBN 3-8001-3482-9 .
- Michael Fibiger, László Ronkay, Axel Steiner & Alberto Zilli: Noctuidae Europaeae Volume 11 Pantheinae, Dilobinae, Acronictinae, Eustrotiinae, Nolinae, Bagisarinae, Acontiinae, Metoponiinae, Heliothinae and Bryophilinae. 504 pp., Entomological Press, Sorø 2009 ISBN 978-87-89430-14-0
- 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
- UKMoths - Ian Kimber's website
- Heliothis maritima at Fauna Europaea