Laspeyria flexula
Sicheleule ( Laspeyria flexula )
The Sicheleule ( Laspeyria flexula ), also called coniferous forest - Flechteneule or gray lichen - span Owl, is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of cutworms ( Noctuidae ). It is the only member of the genus and of the subfamily Laspeyria Aventiinae that occurs in Europe.
Features
The moths have a wingspan from 26 to 36 millimeters. The head, labial palps and the patagium are orange, the rest of thorax and abdomen gray-white with black Überstäubung. The antennae of the male are occupied only with short cilia. Drawing and color of the wings are comparatively less variable. The apex of the forewing is crescent-shaped with a deep indentation underneath. The top of the forewing is gray to brown with a wiper on the terms and a dark Überstäubung. The inner and outer transverse line running diagonally and bend abruptly on the Costa. Both transverse lines are brown lined and thus clearly drawn. From the bend of the transverse lines to Costalrand in two transverse lines to the Media field a dark, fuzzy patch is formed. The wavy line is drawn finer than the inner and outer transverse line, colored light straw yellow and curled. The kidneys are weak flaw drawn and barely visible, but contain two small black dots. The indentation on the terms is brown margins and gives the image of a half moon. The interneuralen spots are darker than the base color and can also be seen in the brown crescent. The hind wings are slightly lighter and slightly angled on the half of the terms. They show only a single dark -rimmed transverse line and dark patches interneural. The fringe scales are light brown. The underside of the wings is light gray with an orange brown Überstäubung. Front and rear lower wing have a curved postdiskale transverse line and a v -shaped, dark Diskalfleck.
The egg is cone-shaped, with a flattened top and a wide arched bottom. The surface has 28 weak, wavy ribs, of which 15 reached the Mikropylzone and there some are designed to be somewhat stronger. The egg is colored bright yellow, the ribs are in the area of Mikropylzone light brown.
The caterpillar is remarkably slim and is 22 to 26 millimeters long. The first two pairs of legs are greatly reduced, the abdominal edge is provided with Hautausstülpungen. The ground color varies from whitish to greenish with a darker, lichen -like pattern on the back and the sides. On the sides of the first three segments sitting black slashes. The topline is slightly darker than the ground color, especially in the segment cuts. The side ridge lines are lined with bright and dark. The segments 9 and 10 are held slightly darker. The point warts are black. From autumn - overwintering - until June of softwood lichens.
The doll is relatively slim. The cremaster has four equally long, fine bristles.
Geographical distribution and habitat
The Sicheleule comes from the Iberian Peninsula in the West to the Russian Far East. The southern boundary of the distribution extends from the north of the Iberian Peninsula, Corsica, southern Italy and southern Greece to the Black Sea, along the north coast of Turkey to the Caucasus. The northern site boundary extends from southern England, southern Norway over the Urals, Siberia to the Ussuri region and Japan.
The species prefers coniferous and mixed forests, but also deciduous forests and parklands. In the Alps, it rises up to 1300 meters.
Way of life
The Sicheleule forms two, in favorable years and under favorable climatic conditions also three merging into one another generations per year, the butterflies fly almost continuously from early June to early October. In Baden- Württemberg the moths of the first generation of the end of May / beginning of June to fly to the middle / end of July, the moths of the second generation from late July to mid-August. The moths, which then fly from early September are probably a third ( partial? ) Generation. The moths are nocturnal and come to light as well as the bait to rest on the day of tribes, but fly easily. According to Bergmann ( 1954), she likes to sit on hot days on the ground on pins and needles and moss.
The caterpillars are nocturnal and can be found in August and September and again in October. They feed on lichens as ( Physcia stellaris and Ordinary Gelbflechte ( Xanthoria parietina ) ), which grow on the bark of conifers and algae of the genus Protococcus that on the bark of coniferous trees, but also shrubs such as blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) and hawthorns (Crataegus spp.) grow. Bergmann (1954 ) indicates the lichen genus Parmelia, Peltigera and Graphis. The young caterpillar hibernates.
Pupation takes place in a yellow-gray solid web between needles and lichen on the branches. The pupal period lasts four to six weeks.
Endangering
The Sicheleule is not at risk in Germany.