White-point grass owl

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
White-point grass owl
White-spot grass owl (Mythimna albipuncta)

White-spot grass owl ( Mythimna albipuncta )

Systematics
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Hadeninae
Genre : Mythimna
Subgenus : Hyphilar
Type : White-point grass owl
Scientific name
Mythimna albipuncta
( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775)
Caterpillar

The white- spotted grass owl ( Mythimna albipuncta ), also confusingly known as white-spotted owl or white-spotted reed-grass owl, is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of owl butterflies (Noctuidae). It must not be confused with the very similar white-spot grass owl ( Mythimna conigera ).

features

The moths reach a wingspan of 30 to 38 millimeters. The basic color of the forewings varies from yellow-red, deep red to dark brown with different gray components. If the pupae develop more in the cold, they tend to produce specimens with a gray tint; pupae kept in warm conditions tend to produce intensely yellow-red, brown-red or deep red butterflies without gray components. The costal edge is often a little lighter in color. The transverse lines are mostly indistinct, they can be drawn darker or lighter than the basic color. While the inner transverse line is more wavy, the outer transverse line is more jagged if the lines are formed. In some specimens, the wavy line can even be indicated. There is an apical line, but it is often diffuse. Often the area between the apical line, wavy line and hem as well as the fringes is a little darker than the basic color. The kidney blemish is reduced to a small white spot that lies at the distal end of the middle cell . He is often surrounded by a dark shadow. A ring flaw is not developed. The hind wings are dark brown-gray with dark, highlighted wing veins. A discal stain is missing. The fringes are whitish.

The male is characterized by a tuft of black hair on the underside of the abdomen.

The yellowish egg is slightly flattened at the top and heavily flattened at the bottom. The surface is ribbed.

The red-yellow caterpillar has a white, dark-edged back line. The yellowish, somewhat wider secondary back line is darkly bordered towards the back. The side stripes are again light and also dark towards the back. The black spiracles sit in the shoulder. The head is colored light brown with dark arched stripes. The adult caterpillar can reach 38 to 43 millimeters in length.

The squat, relatively thick doll is red-brown in color and has a blunt cremaster .

Similar species

The species is similar to the white-spot grass owl ( Mythimna conigera ), the hooded grass owl ( Mythimna ferrago ) and Mythimna unipuncta . In the white-spot grass owl and the hooded grass owl, the crescent-shaped kidney flaws are still indicated in the outline; in the white-spot grass owl, they are reduced to a white point. With the white-spot grass owl, the transverse lines are always drawn very clearly. In the hooded grass owl, the transverse lines are also often similarly indistinct, but usually even better to see, especially the middle part of the inner transverse line. The white point of the white-point grass owl is usually more intense, pure white, somewhat larger, more rounded and more sharply defined than that of the white-point grass owl, where it is often elongated towards the outer edge, often formed like a line.

Geographical distribution and habitat

The species has its range from northwest Africa, southern and central Europe , Asia Minor , Turkmenistan to the Kopet Dag Mountains . The species currently seems to be expanding its range to the north, parts of northern Germany were probably not colonized until the 20th century.

The white-point grass owl is considered a migrant butterfly (or a "suspected migrant species"), the butterflies fly northwards every year far beyond their actual down-to-earthness. Currently the species is reported almost regularly from Denmark, southern Finland, and southern Sweden. It flies into England in varying numbers every year and can reach Norfolk in the north . In favorable years, the species also seems to reproduce and temporarily established itself in south-east England.

The white-point grass owl prefers moderately dry and warm biotopes, such as semi-arid lawns with bushes, grassy embankments, railway and flood dams, roads and paths, quarries and gravel pits, loess cave paths, clear areas of deciduous and mixed deciduous forests (aisles, wide forest paths, clearings), Warm valley edges and bank areas of streams and rivers, orchards and vineyards, settlement areas (gardens, roadsides) and cultivated land (grassy field edges, temporary fallow fields) or abandoned cultivated land (ruderal areas). In the Alps, it rises to around 1800 meters above sea level.

Way of life

The white-spotted grass owl forms two overlapping generations per year, with the second generation usually being stronger. A third generation could even be formed in climatically favorable regions. According to other authors, however, the species is strictly bivoltine . In breeding experiments under optimal conditions, however, generations can continuously be formed; neither the caterpillar nor the pupa enter a diapause under these artificial conditions. The moths fly almost continuously from April to November. In Baden-Württemberg, however, a weaker maximum of the moths' flight time can be observed in May and June and a much more pronounced maximum from late July to early September. At the individual locations, however, there is often a one to several week interruption in flight time. The moths are nocturnal, often come to artificial light sources and can also be baited . Occasionally they can also be observed during the day. They suck nectar from all kinds of flowers. The eggs are laid in folded, often already dry leaves or in the flower heads of the host plants. The caterpillars hatch after a week. The young caterpillars eat the flower heads or the leaves of grasses. The following host plants are mentioned in the literature:

The half-grown caterpillars overwinter. In the spring the caterpillars become strictly nocturnal. During the day they hide in dry or withered leaves on the ground. They pupate in a loose cocoon on the ground.

Systematics and taxonomy

The taxon was first scientifically described in 1775 by Michael Denis and Johann Ignaz Schiffermüller as Noctua albipuncta . The misspelling albipunctata is relatively common, even in specialist literature . The species is the type species of the genus Hyphilare Hübner, 1821, which today is mostly regarded as a subgenus of Mythimna Ochsenheimer, 1816. In the literature it appears in the combinations Leucania albipuncta and Hyphilare albipuncta . Leucania Ochsenheimer, 1816 is a different genus and Hyphilare Hübner, 1821 is only accepted by some authors as a sub-genus of Mythimna , in other works it is regarded as a synonym of Mythimna .

Danger

The white-point grass owl is not considered endangered throughout Germany. Only in the city-state of Hamburg is the species considered to be endangered.

supporting documents

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Red List at Science4you
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Hacker et al. (2002: p. 190)
  3. ↑ a b Bergmann (1954: pp. 372/3, 376–378)
  4. ↑ a b c Forster & Wohlfahrt (1971: p. 98/9)
  5. ↑ a b c d e Ahola & Silvonen (2009: p. 444/5)
  6. ↑ Lepiforum; see doll pictured there
  7. ^ Mythimna albipuncta - Naturhistoriske riksmuseet Stockholm
  8. ↑ a b UK Moths - website of Ian Kimber
  9. ↑ a b Ebert and Steiner (1998: pp. 263–265)
  10. ^ Michael Denis and Johann Ignaz Schiffermüller: Systematic directory of butterflies in the Vienna region. 322 p., Bernardi, Vienna 1776 Online at GDZ - Göttinger Digitization Center (The work Announcement of a systematic work on the butterflies of the Vienna region by Michael Denis and Johann Ignaz Schiffermüller from 1775 is an identical preprint of the digitized work from 1776) (Description by Noctua albipuncta on p. 84).
  11. ↑ Natural History Museum - Butterflies and Moths of the World Generic Names and their Type-species

literature

  • Matti Ahola and Kimmo Silvonen: Larvae of Northern European Noctuidae. Vol. 2. 672 pp., 2008, ISBN 978-952-92-2888-1
  • Arno Bergmann: The large butterflies of Central Germany. Volume 4/1: Owls. Distribution, forms and communities. Urania-Verlag, Jena 1954, DNB 450378373 .
  • Günter Ebert, Axel Steiner: The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg , Volume 7, Nachtfalter V (Owls (Noctuidae) 3rd part), Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-800-13500-0
  • Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 .
  • Hermann Hacker, László Ronkay & Márton Hreblay: Noctuidae Europaeae vol. 4 Hadeninae I . Entomological Press, Sorø 2002, ISBN 87-894-30-07-7

Web links

Commons : Mythimna albipuncta  - collection of images, videos and audio files