Phlogophora scita
Emerald Owl ( Phlogophora scita )
The Emerald Owl ( Phlogophora scita ) is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of cutworms ( Noctuidae ).
- 7.1 Notes and references
- 7.2 Literature
Features
Butterfly
The wingspan of a medium-sized butterfly is about 40 to 48 mm. The forewing color of the Emerald Owl is light green in general. The retracted to the inner edge toward midfield is darker green. The area of the ring blemish is clearly brightened, that of the renal defect has the darker color of the midfield. At the faint outer transverse line in front of the wing tip a small, dark green, arrow-shaped spot. At the inner edge of the root array another green, slightly diffuse field is identified. The species varies in coloration and the following forms are described:
- F.flavescens winder, with yellowish forewings
- F.olivacea winder, with olive-brown forewings.
The latter form is somewhat similar to the olive-brown color variant also the Achateule ( Phlogophora meticulosa ), which is somewhat larger, has a v -shaped midfield with usually more stressed brownish tint and has a much more jagged forewing edge. The hind wings of the Emerald Owl are strikingly bright The head is provided with a dense tuft of hair, the abdomen is pale hairy.
Egg, caterpillar, pupa
The egg is cone-shaped, trimmed with lace and straight, thin longitudinal ribs. It is initially white and turns later yellowish and pink. It also has a few stains from existing matt ruby binding. The yellow- green caterpillar of the Emerald Owl is slim, at the end somewhat thickened and slightly raised on the eleventh segment. On the sides, a dark line and an X-shaped drawing are visible. The spiracles are outlined in white and black. The pupa is reddish-brown, very slender with a blunt abdomen, which has two long tick marks, and several very short, small, curved bristles.
Similar Species
- Achateule ( Phlogophora meticulosa )
Synonyms
- Habrynthis scita
Dissemination
The species is widespread in Central and Eastern Europe, in the Alps, it rises up to 1600 meters. They can mainly be found in the mountains and in mountain valleys and inhabited deciduous and mixed forests.
Way of life
The nocturnal Emerald Owl flies from mid-June to early September and visited and artificial light sources. The caterpillars live in August at different fern species, for example, at male fern ( Dryopteris ), fern ( Blechnum spicant ) or bracken ( Pteridium aquilinum ). They overwinter and feed in the spring of the following year first of many plants, including violets ( Viola ), plantain ( Plantago ), hawthorn (Crataegus ), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), raspberry (Rubus idaeus ) and oak (Quercus ). Once the ferns sprout, they return again to this, where they are still alive by the end of May and then pupate.
Endangering
Although the way in many areas is very rare, it is nationwide on the Red List of endangered species in Germany only in Category 3 (endangered ) out.