Mythimna conigera
White spot Graseule ( Mythimna conigera )
The white spot Graseule ( Mythimna conigera ), also called Busch Lawn Weißfleckeule or yellow brown Schilfgraseule, is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of cutworms ( Noctuidae ).
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 31-38 millimeters. The forewings are yellowish, orange, reddish ocher yellow, light brown, light gray-brown to reddish brown in color. The apex of the relatively slender forewing is pointed but rounded on the other hand the Tornus wide. The inner and outer transverse line are drawn sharp dark brown. Heat forms result strongly yellow colored copies, cold forms rather bleak yellow gray brown colored specimens with strong drawing.
The external cross- line approximately parallel to the outer edge with a sharp reverse bend at the costal margin. The inner transverse line points towards a very distinctive, almost central, slightly shifted to the inner edge, pointed - triangular bend to the outer edge. The kidneys blemish is surrounded by a diffuse, slightly darker edge. The proximal part is often drawn slightly lighter. For the inner edge toward the renal defect then there is an oblong- triangular white spot along the wire ring R. The stigma usually missing, it is sometimes perceive as a small, bright elliptical spot. The wing veins are usually highlighted in dark brown, especially in Saumfeld between external transverse line and hem line are designed as a thin fine lines. The hem line is indicated as a thin line or as a series of dots. In Saumfeld a slightly darker shade is formed in some specimens instead of the wavy line. The fringes are held in the base color.
The hind wings are pale gray-brown with a slight brownish tinge. They are slightly darker towards the outer edge, the fringes are again somewhat brighter.
The comparatively squat caterpillar is yellow -brown with a dark lined bright topline. The side ridge lines are drawn in black, limited to the abdominal side with a white line. The side strips are shown in yellow gray, the black spiracles. The relatively large head is yellow brown in color with two black longitudinal lines either side of center and a dot pattern. The adult caterpillar is 35 to 40 millimeters long.
The doll is yellow-brown, the cremaster has two divergent pointed bristles on.
Geographical distribution and habitat
The species occurs from the Iberian Peninsula and the British Isles in the west through southern, central, northern and eastern Europe to Siberia and the Russian Far East and Japan. In Northern Europe, the area extends to about the middle Fennoscandia, in southern Europe to central Spain with an isolated occurrence in the Sierra Nevada ( Southern Spain ), Sardinia, Sicily and northern Greece. In Asia Minor the occurrence is limited to the northeast Turkey. It comes in Transkaususgebiet ago in Azerbaijan and Armenia, but is missing in northern Iran. In Central Asia, the range extends up to the (Western) Himalayas.
The species prefers open, rather moist to semi-dry habitats such as slopes and backs, open vineyards, orchards, roadsides, railway and flood embankments, slopes, edges of forests, quarries and gravel pits, boundary layers in lakes and rivers, wet grasslands, scrublands, grassy ruderal areas, probably also little mown, extensively used gardens and parks. The species is very local, can in favorable habitats but its very common. In the Alps, it rises up to 2000 meters, in the Central Asian mountains to over 3000 meters.
Way of life
The white spot Graseule is one generation per year, the moths fly from mid- June to August, occasionally up into September. They are mostly nocturnal, but occasionally fly during the day. At night they come to artificial light sources and can bait. Visit usually at dusk and at night the flowers of many herbaceous plants. Eggs are laid in one or two rows of folded grass leaves. The Eizeit to hatch takes about two weeks. The caterpillars feed on various grasses ( Poaceae ), rarely also on herbaceous plants such as Rumex and Fragaria, sometimes even leaves of trees. They are nocturnal and hide during the day in the vegetation. In the literature, the following caterpillar food plants are:
- Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne )
- Italian ryegrass (Lolium multifkorum )
- Hair - Wood-rush ( Luzula pilosa )
- Reed canary grass ( Phalaris arundinacea )
- Reed (Phragmites australis)
- Annual bluegrass ( Poa annua)
- Yellow Dock ( Rumex )
- Dandelion ( Taraxacum )
- Creep couch grass (Triticum repens )
- Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)
- Upright Brome ( Bromus erectus )
- Wire Schmiele ( Deschampsia flexuosa )
- Cocksfoot ( Dactylis glomerata )
- Calamagrostis purpurea
- Fescue ( Festuca spp.)
- Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca )
- Daisy (Bellis perennis)
The half-grown caterpillar overwinters and evolving in the spring of the following year. They pupate in May in a loosely spun cocoon on the ground.
Systematics and Taxonomy
The species was described in 1775 by Michael Denis Johann Ignaz and Schiffermueller as Noctua conigera first time scientifically. The types were from around Vienna and are now lost. In the past, the species was also assigned to other genera, so that they can be found in the literature in the following combinations: Sideridis conigera, Leucania conigera, Aletia conigera and Conithimna conigera. Aletia Hübner, 1821. Leucania Ochsenheimer, 1816 and Sideridis Hübner, 1821 are other species to which conigera can not be found. It is the type species of the genus Conithimna Beck, 1999, which is, however, considered a junior synonym of Mythimna. Some authors divide the genus into several subgenera Mythimna. In this structure conigera in the Nominatuntergattung Mythimna ( Mythimna ) is provided. Currently, two subspecies are distinguished:
- Mythimna conigera conigera that Nominatunterart, in the largest part of the range
- Mythimna conigera angulifera ( Moore, 1881), western Himalayas, hind wings darker, darker kidney blemish, less clearly drawn cross lines on the fore wings
Endangering
The white spot Graseule applicable in Germany as not at risk.