Acronicta menyanthidis
Moorland moth ( Acronicta menyanthidis )
The moorland moth ( Acronicta menyanthidis ), also called fever clover - eared owl, is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of cutworms ( Noctuidae ).
- 6.1 Notes and references
- 6.2 Literature
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 35-38 millimeters. The ground color of the forewings is highly variable. It ranges from whitish gray on gray, dark gray to black. The root line is drawn short but very clear; also the tornale line is clear. Ventral of tornalen stroke is very often developed a white spot. The schwarzumrandete ring flaw is very small, also outlined in black is the larger kidney blemish. The inner and outer transverse line are drawn in black, and jagged, or indicated only by rows of dots. The outer transverse line is angled sharply between the tornalen underscore and the trailing edge and returns. The middle shade is developed only on the front edge. The hem line is only indicated by a series of very fine points. The fringes are pale gray with narrow interneuralen strokes. The hind wings vary in color from light gray to dark gray to brown -gray. The fringes are whitish. The underside of the forewings is dark gray, the underside of the hind wings light gray. On the undersides of both wings, the mean transverse line is only hinted at, the underside of the hind wing also has a Diskalfleck on. Head and thorax are decorated in various shades of gray.
The egg is flattened and somewhat irregular cone-shaped. The surface has significant longitudinal ribs. It is initially light yellow, later it will carmine with large white spots.
The caterpillar may be colored brown or black. The head and pronotum are black brown and shiny. The clear warts are occupied with moderately long brown hair tufts. On the side there is a red longitudinal band, about sitting the white stigmas.
The doll is relatively large and black brown. The blunt cremaster is covered with short, spine -like bristles.
Similar Species
The moths of the moorland moth, quite similar to the gold hair moth. Fibiger, et al. (2009 ) indicate the following differences:
- In A. auricoma the central shadow is often formed while he is limited in A. menyanthidis on the leading edge
- The kidneys flaw in A. auricoma black edged with a black spot in the middle
- The ring stain is usually clearer than the ring stain of A. auricoma, which also often has a white dot in the center of the flaw in A. menyanthidis.
- A. auricoma has a more or less distinct row of dots in Saumfeld, which is absent in A. menyanthidis.
Geographic occurrence and habitat
The moorland moth occurs mainly in Central, Northern and Eastern Europe. The distribution area extends further to Siberia and the Russian Far East. In the West, the North of England, Scotland and the northern part of Ireland settled with a small isolated deposits in East Anglia. On the continent, the western boundary of dissemination through eastern France extends from here reaches a wedge to the French Massif Central. An isolated proof is available from the French Pyrenees. In Italy there is a small isolated occurrences in western Liguria and in the Alps. The southern boundary of the distribution runs through southern Germany, Czech Republic, southern Poland, Slovakia and across the Ukraine to Russia. South of it there are only a few small isolated occurrences in the Czech Republic and northern Romania, as well as the already mentioned, also isolated, larger deposits in the Central and Eastern Alps, Austria and western Hungary.
The moorland moth prefers to live in moist mixed and deciduous forests, on the edge of peat bogs and moorlands. In the Alps, it rises to over 1200 m above sea level.
Way of life
The moorland moth is one or two generations per year, the second generation is usually incomplete. The moths of the first generation fly from May to June, the moths of the incomplete second generation of July to August. The moths are nocturnal and are used both on artificial light sources as well as the bait. During the day they rest on the bark of tree trunks. The caterpillars are found from June to September. They are diurnal and nocturnal and usually sit freely on the leaves or their seat waiting. They feed mainly on species of the genera Myrica, heather ( Calluna ), cranberries (Vaccinium subgen. Oxycoccus ) and blueberries (Vaccinium ), but also of willow ( Salix) and birch (Betula ). Ebert et al. (1997) also give Eisenhutblättriger Buttercup ( Ranunculus aconitifolius ), Marsh Cinquefoil ( Comarum palustre ), Creeping Jenny ( Lysimachia nummularia ) and fever clover ( Menyanthes trifoliata ) as a caterpillar food plants. The pupa overwinters.
Endangering
Moorland moth is in Germany a total of endangered ( category 2). In several German states, it is threatened with extinction (Category 1).
System
Acronicta menyanthidis is of Fibiger et al. (2009) placed in the subgenus Viminia Chapman, 1890 together with A. auricoma, A. orientalis, A. rumicis, A. euphorbiae and A. cinerea. Other species of the genus are found in the Far East.