Mythimna straminea

Mythimna straminea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Mythimna
Species: M. straminea
Binomial name
Mythimna straminea
Treitschke, 1825
Synonyms

Aletia straminea

Mythimna straminea, the southern wainscot, is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in the western parts of the Palearctic ecozone, including Morocco, Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus, Israel and Lebanon.

Technical description and variation

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

The wingspan is 32 to 40 millimetres (1.3 to 1.6 in). Forewing pale ochreous with slight dark dusting and a faint reddish tinge;veins finely defined by brown streaks, which are also distinct in the intervals; a diffuse brown shade below median vein; outer dots on veins 2 and 5 only; hindwing whitish ochreous, grey-tinged along middle from base,with a postmedian line of dark grey dashes on veins. Three distinct aberrations are mentioned by Tutt, all apparently British; obsoleta Tutt, a very rare pale form, with all the dots of forewing absent, the median nervure pure white, and the hindwing white without dots; in rufolinea Tutt the coloration is bright rufous, so that the forewing appears to consist of alternate fine lines of red and white; lastly in nigrostriata Tutt the coloration is blackish, the wing appearing to be a succession of black and white lines; the shade beneath median vein is almost black, and the hindwing is much darker; the majority of these darker forms are males.[1]

Biology

The moth flies from June to August depending on the location.

Larva ochreous with grey freckles; lines paler edged with dark grey; subspiracular line paler.The larvae feed on Phragmites and Phalaris.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 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, 1914
  2. ↑ "Robinson, G. S., P. R. Ackery, I. J. Kitching, G. W. Beccaloni & L. M. Hernández, 2010. HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London.".

References

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