Xestia alpicola
Xestia ( Anomogyna ) alpicola
, Also called Xestia alpicola Zetterstedts Alpeneule or Zetterstedts Alpine Erdeule, is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of cutworms ( Noctuidae ).
- 6.1 Notes and references
- 6.2 Literature
Features
Butterfly
The moths have a wingspan of 34-42 millimeters. The drawing consists usually of ring and kidney blemish and inner and outer transverse line, but these are drawn distinctly different. The moths vary quite a lot in the coloration of the forewing tops. Different drawing and coloring denote the following sub- types:
- Characteristic of the nominate ssp. alpicola, which has a wingspan of 34-42 millimeters, is the black-brown tinted base color on the fore wings, which is occasionally dusted slightly blue-gray and a reddish brown Basalstrich shows.
- The ssp. alpina has a wingspan 34-40 mm and is characterized by a predominantly reddish ground color on the front wings, with a clear, dark Basalstrich. Ring and kidney blemish stand out strikingly.
- Mostly light gray to gray-brown, the ssp. carnica. The Basalstrich is not clearly marked. Transverse and wavy lines as well as ring and kidney flaw, however, are clearly visible.
- The relatively large ssp. ryffelensis lacks the slightly blue-gray tint of the nominate form.
The antennae are ciliated on both sides sawtooth for each individual male moths.
Egg, caterpillar and chrysalis
The egg is spherical, strongly ribbed and netted, flattened at the base, yellowish in color and shows some purple-brown spots. The caterpillars are reddish gray or yellowish in color and covered with small black dots. Along with the bright line of the back form the adjacent dark bars a fork- shaped pattern. The doll is characterized by four spines on the cremaster.
Similar Species
A certain similarity to Xestia tecta, which, however, usually through a darkened midfield distinguishes the forewing.
Geographical distribution and habitat
The species occurs mainly in the north of Europe, in the northern part of the British Isles in the ssp. alpina, in Fennoscandia and northern Russia to western Siberia in the ssp. alpicola and the Alps in the ssp. carnica and ssp. ryffelensis before widespread. In the Alps, it rises to around 3000 meters and is to be found there just above the tree line.
Way of life
The species has a two year development cycle. The nocturnal moths fly regionally slightly different from July to August or September. They come to artificial light sources and visit the bait. The caterpillars are found from August and overwinter twice. They feed on the leaves of crowberry ( Empetrum ), heather ( Calluna ) and dwarf birch (Betula nana ).
Endangering
Xestia alpicola occurs in Germany only in the Bavarian Alps and is run on the red list of threatened species as a species with a geographical restriction.
Taxonomy
The species is currently divided into four subspecies:
- Xestia alpicola alpicola that Nominatunterart in Fennoscandia and Northwest Russia
- Xestia alpicola alpina ( Humphreys & Westwood, 1843), British Isles
- Xestia alpicola carnica ( Herring, 1846), Eastern Alps, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland
- Xestia alpicola ryffelensis ( Oberthuer, 1904), southern Switzerland, western Austria, south-east France.
The Fauna Europaea lists yet another subspecies Xestia ( Anomogyna ) alpicola iveni ( Huber 1870), but by Fibiger as a synonym of ssp. carnica is considered.
Lafontaine, Mikkola & Kononenko (1987 ) have transferred the type of the subgenus Pachnobia in the subgenus Anomogyna.