Xestia alpicola
| Xestia alpicola | ||||||||||||
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Xestia alpicola |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Xestia alpicola | ||||||||||||
| ( Zetterstedt , 1839) |
Xestia alpicola , also called Zetterstedts Alpeneule or Zetterstedts Alpen-Erdeule , is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae).
features
butterfly
The moths have a wingspan of 34 to 42 millimeters. The drawing usually consists of ring and kidney flaws as well as inner and outer transverse lines, which, however, are clearly drawn differently. The moths vary in the coloring of the upper surface of the forewing quite strongly. Different drawing and coloring characterize the following subspecies :
- Characteristic for the nominate form ssp. alpicola , which has a wingspan of 34 to 42 millimeters, is the black-brown tinted basic color on the forewings, which is occasionally slightly dusty blue-gray and shows a red-brown basal line.
- The ssp. alpina has a wingspan of 34 to 40 millimeters and is characterized by the predominantly reddish basic color on the forewings and a distinct, dark basal line. Ring and kidney defects stand out clearly.
- The ssp is predominantly light gray to gray-brown in color. carnica . The basal line is indistinct. Cross and wavy lines as well as ring and kidney defects, on the other hand, are clearly visible.
- The relatively large ssp. ryffelensis lacks the slightly blue-gray tint of the nominate form.
The antennae in all male butterflies are ciliate on both sides like a sawtooth.
Egg, caterpillar and pupa
The egg is spherical, strongly ribbed and reticulated, flattened on the underside, yellowish in color and shows some purple-brown spots. The caterpillars are reddish gray or yellowish in color and covered with small black spots. Together with the light back line, the dark lines next to it form a fork-shaped pattern. The doll is identified by four thorns on the cremaster .
Similar species
There is a certain similarity to Xestia tecta , which, however, usually differs by a darkened middle field of the forewings.
Geographical distribution and habitat
The species occurs mainly in northern Europe, so in the northern part of the British Isles in the ssp. alpina , in Fennoscandinavia and Northern Russia to Western Siberia in the ssp. alpicola and in the Alps in the ssp. carnica and ssp. ryffelensis spreads. In the Alps, it rises to around 3000 meters and can only be found there above the tree line .
Way of life
The species has a two year development cycle. The nocturnal moths fly slightly differently from July to August or September. They come to artificial light sources and visit the bait . The caterpillars can be found from August and overwinter twice. They feed on the leaves of crowberry ( Empetrum ), heather ( Calluna ) and dwarf birch ( Betula nana ).
Danger
In Germany, Xestia alpicola occurs only in the Bavarian Alps and is listed on the Red List of Endangered Species as a species with geographical restrictions.
Taxonomy
The species is currently divided into four subspecies:
- Xestia alpicola alpicola , the nominate subspecies in Fennoscandia and northwestern Russia
- Xestia alpicola alpina (Humphreys & Westwood, 1843), British Isles
- Xestia alpicola carnica (Herring, 1846), Eastern Alps, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland
- Xestia alpicola ryffelensis (Oberthür, 1904), southern Switzerland, western Austria, south-eastern France.
The fauna Europaea lists yet another subspecies Xestia (Anomogyna) alpicola iveni (Huber 1870), which, however, is used by Fibiger as a synonym of ssp. carnica is considered.
Lafontaine, Mikkola & Kononenko (1987) transferred the species from the subgenus Pachnobia to the subgenus Anomogyna .
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Red Lists at Science4you
- ↑ a b c d Fibiger (1993: pp. 150–153)
- ↑ a b Forster & Wohlfahrt (1971: p. 52/3)
- ↑ Xestia (Anomogyna) alpicola iveni in Fauna Europaea
- ^ J. Donald Lafontaine, K. Mikkola, VS Kononenko: A revision of the genus Xestia subg. Pachnobia (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), with descriptions of two new subspecies. In: Entomologica Scandica. 18, pp. 305-331, Copenhagen ISSN 0013-8711
literature
- Michael Fibiger: Noctuidae Europaeae. Volume 2: Noctuinae II. Entomological Press, Sorø 1993, ISBN 87-89430-02-6 .
- 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
- Lepiforum eV photos
- Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa (English)
- Markku Savela: Lepidoptera and some other life forms (English)
- Ian Kimber: Guide to the moths of Great Britain and Ireland (English)
- /www.schmetterlinge-deutschlands.de Endangerment
- Xestia alpicola (Zetterstedt, 1839) - website by Heiner Ziegler
- Xestia alpicola at Fauna Europaea