Eustrotiinae
Silbereulchen ( Deltote bankiana )
The Eustrotiinae are a subfamily of butterflies from the family of cutworms ( Noctuidae ). The subfamily includes about 200 species.
Features
The moths are relatively small to medium in size and have a wingspan of about 15 to 40 millimeters, most species are only 15 to 25 millimeters in size. The wings are relatively wide with a rounded apex. The front wings are usually brightly colored and clearly drawn. Usually all transverse lines and blemishes are developed. The wing veins R3 and R4 are of approximately equal length. The hind wings are, however, uniformly colored and often gray. The M2 wire is often present, but slightly reduced, compared to M3. It takes the cell about to 3/ 4 of the length of the cell.
The antennas are ciliate in males, tufted in females with few bristles. The forehead is smooth and rounded, the labial palps short and more or less bent upwards. The second segment is two to three times longer than the third cylindrical segment. The tibia have no spurs. The abdomen usually has one to four combs back, sitting on the segment of one to five.
The caterpillars have three SV setae on the first abdominal segment.
Geographic occurrence and habitat
The species of the subfamily are found worldwide; most genera, however, are native to the tropics. The species live in very different habitats, but rather in open areas where the food plants of the caterpillars grow.
Way of life
The moths fly mostly during the day in the sunshine, but also at night. They are attracted to the artificial light sources. The caterpillars of many species are oligophagous and eat preferably on herbaceous plants, especially grasses at ( Poaceae ) and Sedge family ( Cyperaceae ).
System
The Eustrotiinae were often included in the Acontiinae with, but by Fibiger & Lafontaine (2005) interpreted as a separate subfamily. The systematic scope is very uncertain. In the database "Butterflies and Moths of the World - Generic Names and Their Type - species" of the Natural History Museum London, the generic group is included to Eublemma with. This group is of Kravchenko et al. (2007) considered as a separate subfamily Eublemminae. The Eustrotiinae are probably paraphyletic. Only European species are listed (after Fibiger et al. (2009) ).
- Acontiola Staudinger, 1900 Acontiola lascivalis ( Lederer, 1855)
- Acontiola moldavicola ( Herrich -Schäffer, 1851)
- Silbereulchen ( Deltote bankiana )
- Busch Lawn Grasmotteneulchen ( Deltote deceptoria )
- Ried- Grasmotteneulchen ( Deltote uncula )
- Phyllophika obliterata ( Rambur, 1833)
- Forest Lawn Grasmotteneulchen ( Protodeltote pygrga )
- Pseudozarba bipartita ( Herrich -Schäffer, 1850)
- Thalerastria diaphora (Staudinger, 1879)
- Thalerastria lehmanni Hoppe & Fibiger, 2009