Garden Dart
Euxoa nigricans, Falter
The Black Erdeule ( Euxoa nigricans ), also Violet Black Erdeule, Gersteneule or Schwarzeule called, is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of cutworms ( Noctuidae ).
- 4.1 Notes and references
- 4.2 Literature
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 30 to 40 millimeters. Head, thorax, abdomen and forewings have a red-brown, dark red-brown, brown-black or nearly black color. Ring spot or blemish kidneys, sometimes the PTO blemishes are thinly outlined in black, the kidneys blemish is often a bit lighter than the ground color, sometimes filled yellowish or whitish- edged narrow. The inner and outer transverse line are mostly extinguished, the wavy line is broken up into yellowish white dots or missing. The hind wings are pale brown, darker towards the hem and whitish towards the base. In females, they are darker than in the males. The antennae of the males are serrated short, those of the females are thready.
The slightly flattened, otherwise nearly round eggs measure 0.7 to 0.75 mm in diameter and 0.5 mm in height. They are bright yellow in color and translucent. The surface has weak, corrugated longitudinal ribs and somewhat weaker transverse ribs forming a pattern of weak flattened somewhat irregular hexagons.
The caterpillar is colored gray-green. She has on her back on a lighter, greenish center line, and studded with whitish bristles point warts. The head and pronotum is brown.
The doll is shiny brown. The cremaster has two thorns.
Similar Species
Numerous species of the subfamily Noctuinae have the same dark color as Euxoa nigricans. In general, they can be distinguished only by professionals. In Europe, the following types often have occasion to confusion: Euxoa adumbrata ( in Scandinavia and Northern Russia) and dark forms of Euxoa ochrogaster islandica, Euxoa tritici, Euxoa nigrofusca, Euxoa eruta, and - depending on the competence of the observer - and dark forms of Euxoa cursoria, Euxoa Christophi, Agrotis segetum, Actebia fennica, Protexarnis squalida, Spaelotis Ravida, Spaelotis senna, Spaelotis suecica and others.
Geographical distribution and habitat
Euxoa nigricans inhabited mainly Europe and Asia climatically temperate regions as well as the mountains of North Africa. You lack in the polar regions, to Iceland and some Mediterranean islands (Balearic Islands, Malta, Greek Islands, Crete, Cyprus) and in Macaronesia ( Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands).
The species inhabited open land habitats, preferring areas with low ground cover and lückigem vegetation such as dry slopes, poor grassland, pasture land, escarpments, embankments. It also comes in cultivated land before (gardens, villages, agricultural steppe, ruderal areas, vineyards ).
Way of life
The Black Erdeule is one generation per year, the moths fly from late June to late September with a frequency maximum in August. They are crepuscular and nocturnal, visit the nectar uptake night flowering plants and are attracted by artificial light sources. Eggs are laid in single layer linealischen bands where they are close to each other. The caterpillars overwinter in the egg and pupate in early summer. They live on and in the soil and feed on roots and leaves of various plants of the herb layer, including cultural and garden plants. They can also cause damage.