Miller (moth)
Wool moth ( Acronicta leporina )
The wool moth ( Acronicta leporina ) is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of cutworms ( Noctuidae ). In German-speaking countries the species is also known as Poodle.
Features
The wool moth reaches a wingspan of 38-43 mm or 34-45 mm. The forewings have a pure white to light gray base color, with the only remnants of the transverse lines and blemishes borders have remained black obtained. In some areas, but are also more or less in front of darkened copies. It is a short and narrow root line available; a short tornal line is only indicated. The inner transverse line is indicated only by means of two black dots. The outer jagged transverse line is drawn in black, and simple, but often also indicated by dots. The middle shade is indicated only on the front edge by a black spot, the hem line. Due to a number of very small black dots The ring flaw is very small or absent. The kidneys flaw is rarely completely surrounded, usually only a half-circle and marked by a center line. The fringes are white with narrow interneuralen strokes. The hind wings of the male are white, the Diskalfleck is faintly visible. In the female, some veins of the hind wings are black, also a center line is developed and the Diskalfleck is relatively clear. The fringes are white or gray. The undersides of the wings of the males are white, gray in females. In females, outer transverse line and Diskalfleck are present, with the males only a Diskalfleck. Rarely, specimens in appearance, in which the Saumfeld is obscured or where the wings are dusted evenly gray.
The eggs are yellow at first, later they turn to a purple brown. You have a low cone shape and are very inconspicuous by the flat edge. The surface is covered with very irregular, strong longitudinal ribs.
The caterpillars reach a length of up to 37 millimeters, they are green or yellow, and provided from the fourth stage with long white or gray (southern instances) or yellow (northern specimens ) silky hairs. On the fourth, sixth, eighth and eleventh segment ever sits a thin, black tufts of hair. In adult caterpillars protective hair reminiscent of a dream, whose coloration is variable. Before pupation darkens the caterpillars body and the hair is black.
The pupa is dark brown. The cremaster has a tuft of bristles, the bristles are each outward.
Geographical distribution and habitat
The wool moth has spread almost all over Europe. The range extends from southern Spain, central Italy, and Bulgaria to Scotland and the median Scandinavia, in Finland and Norway, the Arctic Circle is exceeded. Outside Europe, only evidence from North Africa are known. In the eastern Palaearctic and Nearctic of the wool moth is replaced by the formerly known as subspecies Acronicta vulpina ( Grote, 1883). Unclear is so far the course of the eastern limit of distribution in Russia and whether an overlap area with Acronicta vulpina exists.
Bergmann refers to the wool moth as an indicator species of clear poplar birch bushes corridors in the sunny border zone of swampy Laubmengwäldern in valleys of sandy landscapes of the hill stage. In the Alps, it rises to over 1600 m above sea level.
Way of life
The wool moth forms a generation a year, flying their Falter May to September. For several natural areas of Baden-Württemberg two Abundanzmaxima were found, which could not be clarified whether this is a second generation or late hatched animals of a single generation. The caterpillars can be found from July to September.
The moths rest during the day on the trunks of birch trees, at night they appear to sugary baits and the light. The eggs are laid singly on leaves. After laying eggs, the caterpillars hatch in about seven days. They are diurnal and nocturnal and live singly or in small groups open on aspen (Populus tremula ), birch (Betula ), willow ( Salix), privet ( Ligustrum ), ash (Fraxinus ), alder ( Alnus ), Linden (Tilia ) and hazel (Corylus ). They usually sit on the underside of leaves and rest coiled up under the leaves. In the first caterpillar stage they cause only feeding window. Before pupation the caterpillars run around some time to find a suitable Verpuppungsplatz. Customize how other Acronicta species reeling from bark and wood particles or like to bore into rotten wood, whose passage is closed with caterpillar hairs.
The pupae overwinter and sometimes there are one or two years.
System
Acronicta leporina is of Fibiger et al. (2009) provided Nominatuntergattung Acronicta. Numerous evidence from Asia and North America are now assigned to other species or considered as an independent species.