Acronicta cinerea
The sand heaths moth ( Acronicta cinerea) is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of cutworms ( Noctuidae ). It is very closely related to the milkweed moth. Some authors even dispute until the recent time the independence of the two species.
- 6.1 Notes and references
- 6.2 Literature
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of about 33 to 38 millimeters. The color is usually dark gray, but also lighter copies before coming. The inner and outer transverse line are often formed clearly little to heavily washed out. The outer transverse line is only weakly serrated to almost unperforated. The apex of the fore wings is rounded. The hind wings of males are whitish, gray in females with white fringe. A center line and a Diskalfleck are available, but only vaguely developed.
The egg is colored hemispherical and pink. The surface is covered with bright, irregular, not very clearly trained ribs.
The caterpillar is black brown, black colored head. The warts are occupied and brownish with black and white tufts of hair. On the back sit large white or yellow triangle patches.
Similar Species
The sand heaths moth closely resembles the milkweed moth ( Acronicta euphorbiae ), if it ever is two ways. The wingspan is moving in the same order as that of milkweed moth; this is slightly bigger on average. A reliable determination of the butterfly can only be performed by a genital examination. Since the beads of the two types differ significantly, an unambiguous assignment is possible by means of breeding. The caterpillar of A. cinerea lacks the orange-red, transverse back spot on the second segment and the yellow- red side stripes.
Geographical distribution and habitat
The sand heaths moth is north of a line spread in Europe, extending from the north of Scotland, Northeastern Netherlands / Germany border to North West, southeast runs through the northern Czech Republic, southern Poland, across Ukraine and southern Russia to the Urals Mountains. It goes further in the northern Central Asia, Siberia, the Altai to northern and central China.
The species is found primarily on sandy soil in pine heaths and pine forests, but also in wet heaths and bogs in the mountains and in ruderal areas.
Way of life
The sand heaths moth forms from one to two generations per year, the second generation, if it is all formed, is incomplete. The moths of the first generation fly from May to June, the. Incomplete second generation in July and August The caterpillars feed on polyphagous on various plants, mostly in species of heather ( Calluna ) and the genus Myrica, but also on willow family ( Salicaceae ), Leguminosae ( Fabaceae ), figwort family ( Scrophulariaceae ) and Compositae (Asteraceae). They pupate in a slight cocoon. The pupa overwinters.
Endangering
The species is considered endangered in Brandenburg (category 3), endangered in Mecklenburg -Vorpommern Lower Saxony as strong and it is threatened with extinction.
System
The taxonomic status of A. cinerea is still controversial. Proponents that A. cinerea is a separate species cause, that the caterpillars differ significantly, and the moths are usually distinguishable. The genitalia differ slightly. They also argue that exclude the distribution areas almost. The other side of A. cinerea considered as an ecological variant of A. euphorbiae, which specializes in sandy soil and / or jaw Gentiles. There transitional forms were observed in the caterpillars of both species. In addition, the moths are often not safe to differ in individual cases. The differences in the genital apparatus of males and females are often low. The gradual transitions in the crawler could also be explained by a hybridization zone because where both species occur together. It remains to be clarified whether these hybrids are actually propagate equally successful, or whether the Artbarriere is maintained, for example, through reduced reproductive success, greater susceptibility to parasites, etc. Based on the current results can not yet be decided whether A. cinerea actually a separate species is. According to international rules for Zoological Nomenclature should, in the case that it is not a separate species, the type A cinerea also hot, as this name has priority.