Silver Y
Gammaeule ( Autographa gamma)
The Gammaeule ( Autographa gamma ), also called Pistoleneule, is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of cutworms ( Noctuidae ).
- 5.1 Notes and references
Features
When Gammaeule is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of 35 to 40 millimeters. He is colored gray to brown and has as many species of the subfamily Plusiinae a characteristic drawing on the front wings, which is similar to the gamma from the Greek alphabet and from which derives the name. While Macdunnoughia confusa ( yarrow syllable Owl ) is easily and clearly to distinguish gamma Autographa, a safe separation from Autographa pulchrina, Autographa buraetica, Autographa mandarina, Autographa jota, Autographa macro gamma and Trichoplusia ni Ctenoplusia limbirena and Cornutiplusia circumflex only by experienced specialists be performed. In German-speaking Central Europe includes the butterflies, which are observed in cities, gardens and balcony flowers, but mainly to Autographa gamma.
The caterpillars reach a length of up to 25 millimeters and are colored variable. The spectrum ranges from yellowish green to bluish green to a dark greenish gray. The caterpillars have only three abdominal pairs of legs. The back is provided with a pattern of fine white lines and rings. The Stigmatalband is white or yellowish. The head is provided with characteristic green and black side stripes, but sometimes may be missing.
Similar Species
- Ziest - syllable Owl Autographa pulchrina ( Haworth, 1809)
- Buryat syllable Owl Autographa buraetica (Staudinger, 1892)
- Mandarin syllable Owl Autographa mandarina ( Freyer, 1846)
- Iota - syllable Owl Autographa jota (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Macro gamma - syllable Owl Autographa gamma macro ( Eversmann, 1842)
- Ashen Höckereule Trichoplusia ni ( Hübner, 1803)
- Limbirena - syllable Owl Ctenoplusia limbirena ( Guenee, 1852)
- Cornutiplusia circumflex (Linnaeus, 1767)
Flight time
The Gammaeule forms per year from two to several generations, which can be separated usually overlap and rarely safe. Moths may occur until early December depending on weather conditions from the end of February; in Central Europe the main flight period is between May and October.
Geographical distribution and habitat
When Gammaeule is a classic migrant moth, which is widely used in Germany. By day and night activity, it is one of the best known species of moths at all. The widely varying population levels in Germany are largely dependent on the quantity of Zuflugs from the south. The earthiness of the species in Baden- Württemberg is not yet clear by Ebert. It is also unclear to what extent contribute to the overwintering caterpillars here to the overall population. The total distribution extends across North Africa and Eurasia (except the tropical area ), with the type as immigrants reached the subarctic parts of Asia, Scandinavia, Iceland and Greenland.
The moth does not specialize in specific habitats and may occur anywhere. Only closed forest areas are avoided or flown over.
Way of life
The females prefer laying eggs premolars growth with surrounding open soil. This results, inter alia, a preference for cultivated in garden and field plants. Eggs are laid from May to August individually or in small groups.
The caterpillars hatch after about two weeks and feed on polyphagous. To the caterpillar food plants include a variety of plants without special preference such as nettle (Urtica sp. ), Dandelion (Taraxacum spp.), Lettuce (Lactuca sativa ), etc. A total of 40 species from 20 families are known only for Baden- Württemberg, which list includes many special crops.
The young caterpillars live hidden in the food crops and rest on the underside of leaves. Later, they are mainly nocturnal and hide during the day to the ground or near-ground plant parts. To put the caterpillars pupate in a slight relatively transparent tissue between plant parts. Often, the leaf edges are starting contracted from the midrib her something and it created a dream. The cocoon is not necessarily stored at a food plant, but the caterpillars lay in finding a suitable Verpuppungsstelle back quite a few meters.
Also, the moth is a generalist in terms of its food. The list of nectar plants ranges from monocot plants, such as Juncus effusus, Colchicum autumnale, Iris germanica hybrids over trees, such as the small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata), and a variety of shrubs to herbaceous plants of the Rosopsida. The animals fly in search of nectar in rapid Schwirrflug from flower to flower. Contact often not calm down, but stand with whirring wings before flowering. They grapple with the front legs on the flower. The Gammaeule flies both during the day and at night.
Among the predators are starlings and crows, systematically clean the heavily infested areas of the owl caterpillar and the pupae. Bats, such as the gray long-eared bat, the moth of Gammaeule capture also.
Occasionally, outbreaks, most recently in West Germany in 1991, 1987, 1982 and 1975. Crops to significant damage is thereby caused