Cypress wood owl

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Cypress wood owl
Lithophane leautieri (Noctuidae) (Blair's Shoulder-knot) - (imago), Zemst, Belgium.jpg

Cypress wood owl ( Lithophane leautieri )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Owl butterfly (Noctuidae)
Subfamily : Xyleninae
Genre : Lithophanes
Type : Cypress wood owl
Scientific name
Lithophane leautieri
( Boisduval , 1829)

The cypress wood owl ( Lithophane leautieri ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the owl butterflies (Noctuidae).

features

butterfly

The wingspan of the moth is 36 to 46 millimeters. The forewings are narrow. Several black vertical stripes stand out from their slate-gray top, making the butterflies unmistakable. Sometimes a pale pink over-dusting can be seen. Blemishes are usually indistinct. The upper side of the hind wing is light gray-brown without drawing and shows a weak discoidal spot .

Caterpillar

The caterpillars are green and show broad, interrupted white-yellow back and side back lines. On each segment, a red-brown stain stands out on the sides.

Distribution, subspecies and habitat

The cypress wood owl is found in southwest Europe and northwest Africa. From France , it spread further north and east through the Benelux countries . It was first detected on the Isle of Wight in 1951 and in Germany in 2015. A further spread to the east is to be expected. In addition to the nominate form Lithophane leautieri leautieri , which occurs in France , other subspecies are known:

  • Lithophane leautieri sabinae ( Geyer , 1832), in Valais
  • Lithophane leautieri nicaeenis Boursin , 1957, in the south of France
  • Lithophane leautieri cyrnos Boursin , 1957, in Corsica and Sardinia
  • Lithophane leautieri hesperica Boursin , 1957, in Spain , the Netherlands and the British Isles
  • Lithophane leautieri andalusica Boursin , 1962, in the Sierra Nevada
  • Lithophane leautieri ochreimacula ( Rothschild , 1914), in the Maghreb countries

The species colonizes primarily xerophilic cypress and juniper areas and can also be found in gardens and parks. The altitude distribution ranges from sea level to 1,800 meters.

Way of life

The moths fly in one generation from late October to mid-December. They are nocturnal and visit artificial light sources as well as bait . The eggs overwinter. The caterpillars hatch in late March or early April and create a solid cocoon in the ground in May or June . There they spend a two to four month diapause before they pupate . When choosing the larval food plants, all located within the plant family of the cypress family are (Cupressaceae), considerable regional differences. The caterpillars in central Spain feed on stinging juniper ( Juniperus oxycedrus ) or Phoenician juniper ( Juniperus phoenicea ). Caterpillars of the subspecies Lithophane leautieri sabinae feed on the stink juniper ( Juniperus sabina ) in Valais . In Great Britain , the species Lawson's false cypress ( Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ), Leyland cypress (× Cuprocyparis leylandii ) or Monterey cypress ( Cupressus macrocarpa ), imported and cultivated from the USA , are preferred.

Juniperus oxycedrus 20130828 1.jpg
Stinging juniper
Juniperus sabina 01.JPG
Stink juniper
Pollen cones, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Lawson's Cypress) .jpg
Lawson's cypress
Windswept tree South England.jpg
Monterey cypress

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e László Ronkay, José Luis Yela, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 5. , Sorø, 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9 , pp. 141-143
  2. ↑ a b c Lithophane leautieri at UK Moths
  3. ↑ Willi Wiewel: First records of the cypress wood owl Lithophane leautieri (BOISDUVAL, 1829) for Germany (Lep., Noctuidae) , Melanargia, Nachrichten der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Rheinisch-Westfälischer Lepidopterologen, Leverkusen, Volume 27, No. 4, 2015, p. 169 -172
  4. ↑ Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 4: Owls. (Noctuidae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-440-03752-5 , p. 194
  5. ↑ DF Owen & DJ Duthie: Britain's successful moth colonist: Blair's shoulder-knot Lithophane leautieri (noctuidae) , Biological Conservation, Volume 23, Issue 4, 1982, pp. 285–290 doi : 10.1016 / 0006-3207 (82) 90084- 2

literature

  • Günter Ebert (Hrsg.): The Butterflies of Baden-Württemberg Volume 6, Nachtfalter IV. Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1997 (Eulen (Noctuidae) 2nd part), ISBN 3-8001-3482-9
  • László Ronkay, José Luis Yela, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 5. , Sorø, 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9

Web links

Commons : Cypress Wood Owl  - Collection of images, videos and audio files