Tyta
Bindweed - Trust Owl ( Tyta luctuosa )
The bindweed - Owl Trust, or field -floor Windeneule ( Tyta luctuosa ) is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of cutworms ( Noctuidae ). The species is the only species of the genus Tyta, which in turn the only genus of the tribe Tytini. The moths are diurnal and nocturnal.
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 22-26 millimeters. The forewings are dark brown to black. Is at the leading edge in front of the wing tip, a white, yellowish white to light pink colored, rounded, square spot. The hind wings are black to blackish brown with a broad, wavy, white, middle binding. At the edge of the wing there is a small white spot. The fringes of the front and rear wings are mostly white. The drawing and coloring may vary slightly: specimens with narrow white middle band on the hind wing earlier angustifascia as forma, shall state that specimens with reddish spot on the forewing as formatted ochracea. Today, these " formae " usually not or only used informally.
The caterpillars are becoming less developed relatively strong and forward. They are top yellow gray to brown, becoming lighter colored below. Back line and side- line of the back are slightly darker than the ground color. The head is relatively small, mottled light gray and darker spots. Full-grown caterpillars are 28-33 mm long. The back line is weak, the side back line a little clearer and yellowish. The pupa is reddish brown.
Geographical distribution and habitat
The bindweed - Trust Owl is widespread in Western, Southern and Eastern Europe. However, in North West Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark ( with the exception of Bornholm ) the type is missing. It still happens in small populations in England. In southern Fennoscandia it is detected. Occurrence outside Europe exist in North Africa (Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco), Asia Minor, Cyprus, the Caucasus, Kazakhstan and Siberia to China. In Asia, the southern boundary of the site runs through Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India. It is relatively common to find on dry, grassy meadows, heathland, Ödländereien, clover fields and fallow land and comes from the plains to heights of 1600 m in the Alps before. The type is an internal migrants who wanders in some years, to the north and northwest in areas where it does not normally occur.
In North America Tyta luctuosa in the 1980s to combat field bindweed ( Convolvulus arvensis) was released. Although survival was observed over the winter; However, it seems to have not been established.
Way of life
The species is flying in Central Europe in two overlapping generations from late April to June and then again from July to September. The second generation is often incomplete. In Southern Europe two generations, and often an incomplete third generation are formed regularly. The moths fly here from May to June July to August and from September to October. The moths are diurnal and nocturnal and come out at night to light. The females lay an average of about 400 eggs on the stems and flower buds of the caterpillar food plants. The caterpillars appear from May onwards. They feed mainly on field bindweed ( Convolvulus arvensis). As more food crops are mentioned in the literature flax ( Linum ), fence winds ( Calystegia ), Plantain ( Plantago ) and goose feet ( Chenopodium ). The caterpillars are nocturnal, during the day they hide between the leaves of the food plants. There shall be five larval stages. Pupation takes place in a solid cocoon in the soil, the doll wintered.
Under ideal laboratory conditions the development from egg to butterfly takes almost 46 days.
Endangering
The species is in some German states become rare and is classified as endangered in Bavaria and Saxony. In Mecklenburg- Vorpommern North Rhine- Westphalia and she is considered to be threatened with extinction. However, they should always have been rare here. In Brandenburg, it is on the pre-warning.
Nomenclature and systematic position
In older plants, the species is listed under the genus Tarache. This name is now regarded as a synonym of Acontia and has nothing to do with the type described here. Forster and welfare they perform under the name Acontia luctuosa. Accordingly, it was formerly found mostly in the subfamily Acontiinae. The genus is in some works also type genus a separate subfamily or tribe Tytinae Tytini. The standard work " Noctuidae Europaeae " represents the Tytini as a tribe to subfamily Catocalinae. This step is Fibiger and Hacker ( 2005) and Fibiger and Lafontaine (2005 ) is not followed. Make the genus in the subfamily Tyta Metoponiinae.