Meadow rue hooded owl

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Meadow rue hooded owl
Meadow rue hooded owl (Calyptra thalictri)

Meadow rue hooded owl ( Calyptra thalictri )

Systematics
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Noctuidae
Subfamily : Calpinae
Genre : Calyptra
Type : Meadow rue hooded owl
Scientific name
Calyptra thalictri
( Borkhausen , 1790)

The meadow-rue hooded owl ( Calyptra thalictri , syn .: Calpe capucina ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae).

features

butterfly

The wingspan of the moth is 46 to 60 millimeters. The forewings are broad and reddish, yellowish or brownish in color. Near the center of the front edge there is a distinct tooth pointing downwards. A dark, almost straight line runs from the very pointed apex to the front edge. Blemishes and cross lines hardly stand out from the ground. The hind wings are almost without drawing and are monochrome ocher to light yellowish in color. The antennae of both sexes are combed short. The suction tube is formed as a strong and proboscis. There is a hood-shaped head of hair on the thorax .

Caterpillar

Adult caterpillars have a black-brown back and yellow-white sides. There are distinct black spots on each segment. The head is yellowish and has four black points. Sometimes monochrome green caterpillars also appear.

Doll

The shiny, black-brown doll has very short hooked bristles on the conical cremaster .

Geographical distribution and habitat

The meadow rue hooded owl is widespread locally in southern and central Europe. In the Alps , it was detected at altitudes of 1000 meters. Individual finds were also reported from Sweden and Finland . To the east, the occurrence extends over Russia to China , Korea and Japan . The preferred habitat of the species are open forest landscapes.

Way of life

The main flight time of the univoltine moths are the months June to August. At night they occasionally fly into artificial light sources . The moths like to rest with their wings folded together like a roof, thus appearing like a withered leaf and being perfectly camouflaged from predators. The moth's proboscis is very strong and can pierce the peel of ripe fruits to drink their juice. They are occasionally reported to prick human skin and suck blood themselves. In English usage, the species is therefore sometimes referred to as "Vampire Moth". The caterpillars feed on the leaves of various meadow rue species ( Thalictrum ). They develop from late summer, overwinter and pupate in the spring of the following year.

swell

literature

  • Barry Goater, Lázló Ronkay, Michael Fibiger: Catocalinae & Plusiinae. In: Martin Honey, Michael Fibiger (eds.): Noctuidae Europaeae. Volume 10, Entomological Press, Sorø 2003, ISBN 87-89430-08-5 .
  • Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b B. Goater, L. Ronkay, M. Fibiger: Catocalinae & Plusiinae. In: M. Honey, M. Fibiger (Eds.): Noctuidae Europaeae. Volume 10, Sorø 2003.
  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. ↑ 'Vampire' Moths Invade Finland . From: earthweek.com on June 8, 2007, last accessed June 24, 2014

Web links

Commons : Meadow Diamond Hooded Owl  - Collection of images, videos and audio files