Pyrausta despicata
Olive brown corn borer ( Pyrausta despicata )
The olive-brown or olive- brown corn borer corn borer ( Pyrausta despicata, syn. Pyrausta cespitalis ) is a butterfly of the family Crambidae.
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 14-20 millimeters, and a front wing length 7-9 mm. The coloring and drawing of the front wing is very variable; it ranges from olive-gray to blackish brown. It is a Geschlechtsdichroismus present, in which the males usually colored relatively monotonous, the females are drawn rather contrasting with additional yellow and black drawing elements. Most inner and outer transverse line present on the forewings; the two lines may be brighter or darker than the base color. Usually they are correspondingly bright or too dark margins. The inner transverse line is wavy, the outer transverse line curled up jagged. But there are also very poor drawing specimens, in which the transverse lines are nearly absent. Many specimens have well-developed in the midfield two, dark -rimmed Swap approximately the location of the ring and Kidney Swap. Other specimens have formed in the middle of one or two different sizes and clearly visible arrow spots. The Saumfeld is often darker than the ground color. In the outer part of a different width zone may be more or less strongly brightened; In extreme cases, a bright cross tie is formed.
The hind wings have a blackish color and wearing two bandages, their coloring can vary from white to golden yellow. The outer binding is usually much narrower than the median binding and may be reduced in some specimens on a very narrow line. Older, flown moths may differ in their color greatly from newly hatched animals.
The caterpillars are light to dark brown in color green and have weakly indicated, gray or yellowish ridge lines. Head and neck shield are brown. The Pinacula are dark brown and usually edged light. The adult caterpillar is up to 16 mm long.
Geographical distribution and habitat
Pyrausta despicata is widespread in most of Europe and often. In the east, the distribution area over Siberia, the Russian Far East, northern China and the Korean peninsula attracts to Japan. The southern boundary of the distribution extends over Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Afghanistan and North India. The species also occurs in North America.
The species is found from the level to about 2,300 meters in height. They often occurs on dry, sandy or grassy places, to their habitats include poor grassland, alpine meadows, dry grasslands and roadsides, to a lesser extent, marshy meadows and adjacent areas of fat and alpine meadows.
Way of life
Pyrausta despicata forms two generations per year; The butterflies fly non-stop from May to September. The moths are active at dusk and at night and come to artificial light sources. During the day, rest the animals hidden in the low herb layer and can be easily disturbed there. The females lay eggs on the leaf base of the caterpillar food plants, these include species such as plantain plantain ( Plantago major), Hoary Plantain ( Plantago media ) and plantain ( Plantago lanceolata). The caterpillars can be observed from June to September to July and from August. They often live socially in cocoons and eat first at the leaf underside. This is initially a so-called window feeding to observe in later stages also tracked hole and edge corrosion. The caterpillars of the second generation build a cocoon, hibernate and pupate in the spring in it.
System
The taxon was described in 1763 by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli under the name Phalaena despicata first time scientifically. However, in the older literature, the kind usually appears among the younger synonym Pyrausta cespitalis ( Denis & Schiffer Müller, 1775). Another synonym is Pyralis sordalis Hübner, 1796.