Leucochlaena oditis

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Leucochlaena oditis
Beautiful Gothic Moths of the British Isles.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Noctuidae
Genus:
Leucochlaena
Species:
L. oditis
Binomial name
Leucochlaena oditis
(Hübner, 1822)
Synonyms

Noctua oditis Hübner, 1822
Noctua hispida Geyer, 1832
Leucochlaena machlyum Turati, 1924

The Beautiful Gothic (Leucochlaena oditis) is a Palearctic moth of the family Noctuidae, sub-family Cuculliinae. It is found in southern Europe and north Africa, with occasional finds on the southern coast of England.[1]

Technical description and variation[]

For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

L. oditis Hbn. (= hispida H. G., pilosa Bsd., hirta Dup. nec Hbn.) (29 c). Forewing deep olive brown: all the veins whitish; inner and outer lines broadly whitish with a dark line in centre, the first outwardly oblique,the outer outcurved above and oblique below middle, emitting pale tooth-shaped marks along veins to submarginal line which is broad, whitish internally and rufous or brownish externally, toothed between the black marginal lunules; the line is preceded by black wedge-shaped blotches lying between the teeth of outer line; claviform stigma brown, black-edged; upper stigmata pale ochreous, finely outlined with black, the orbicular with the centre reddish; fringe with basal half brown, outer half ochreous; hindwing dull whitish, becoming brownish grey towards termen, with a dark outer line; specimens from the chalk at Portland [South England] are much paler and constitute the aberrations pallida Tutt and obsoleta Tutt; the former pale grey with a faint brown tinge; the costa whitish; the broad submarginal line white like the fringe; hindwing and fringe almost wholly white; the latter is dull grey with scarcely any paler markings; ab. hispanica ab. nov. (29 c, d) differs in being smaller, yellowerbrown, with all lines, veins, and markings ochreous, not white, except the inner linear edge of the submarginal line; it in distinguished at once by the lower half of outer line being vertical instead of oblique, in a straight line with the inner edge of the reniform. Larva yellowish green or brownish; dorsal and subdorsal lines pale with dark edges; spiracular line broad, yellowish white.[2] The wingspan is 28–36 mm[3]

Figs 3, 3a, 3b larva after last moult

Biology[]

The moth flies in September and October.

The larvae feed on grasses.[3][4]

References[]

  1. ^ Markku Savela. "Leucochlaena oditis". funet.fi. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  2. ^ Warren. W. in Seitz, A. Ed., 1914 Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde, Verlag Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart Band 3: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen eulenartigen Nachtfalter, 1914Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ a b Ian Kimber. "2226 Beautiful Gothic Leucochlaena oditis". UKMoths. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  4. ^ Wikisource:The Moths of the British Isles/Chapter 15#267

External links[]


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