Diloba caeruleocephala

Last updated

Diloba caeruleocephala
Diloba caeruleocephala ugglan.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Species:
D. caeruleocephala
Binomial name
Diloba caeruleocephala

Diloba caeruleocephala, the figure of eight, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the Palearctic.

Contents

Distribution

Diloba caeruleocephala is found in most of Europe except northern Scandinavia, the northern part of the British Isles and the North of Russia.

In the South, it occurs in North Africa, the Middle East (Lebanon, Israel, Jordan), Asia Minor, Iran and Kazakhstan. It is largely missing in Portugal.

Description

Diloba caeruleocephala Moscow oblast Diloba caeruleocephala - Figure of eight - Sinegolovka (41056466111).jpg
Diloba caeruleocephala Moscow oblast

The wingspan is 30–40 mm. The length of the forewings is 15–19 mm. The heavily combed antennae of the male and the thick, woolly-hairy body of the female is atypical for Noctuidae. The forewings are grey or grey-brown with a purple sheen. The reniform and orbicular stigmata are both in the shape of a figure 8 enclosed in yellowish white. The post median and subterminal lines are black. There is a black tornal streak. The hindwing is an ochreous white. The cilia are greyish brown with a wedge-shaped black tornal mark.

The egg is hemispherical and initially white; later it becomes yellowish and is yellowish brown right before hatching. It has in the fresh state 13 to 16 wide, greenish longitudinal ribs.

The larvae are relatively thick at all stages, relatively short and roundish in cross-section. The first instar is light to dark brown and has long bristles on the entire top of the body. The second instar is black with yellow dorsal lines. The head is cream with two black, dorsal stripes. The third instar is blue-grey with yellowish, subdorsal bands. The head is now grey-blue with two large black spots. The penultimate instar resembles the third . In the last instar, the caterpillar is greenish to bluish and has a series of yellow spots on the back and on the side, which are so close together in some specimens that they result arranged in three longitudinal stripes. Distributed all over the body are black warts with individual bristles. The head is blue with two black dots. The adult caterpillar is up to 40 millimeters long.

The pupa is relatively short and thick. It is reddish brown with a slight shade of blue. At the rear end there are two lateral protrusions, on each of which four bristles sit.

The moth flies in one generation from late August to mid-November in Belgium and The Netherlands; and late September to mid-November in the UK. [1]

Figs.1 young larva after first moult; 1a larva after second moult; 1b, 1c larva after third moult;1d larvae after last moult Buckler W The larvae of the British butterflies and moths PlateXXXVI.jpg
Figs.1 young larva after first moult; 1a larva after second moult; 1b, 1c larva after third moult;1d larvae after last moult

The larvae feed on various deciduous trees and shrubs, mainly Sorbus , Prunus spinosa and Crataegus . . [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabbage moth</span> Species of moth

The cabbage moth is primarily known as a pest that is responsible for severe crop damage of a wide variety of plant species. The common name, cabbage moth, is a misnomer as the species feeds on many fruits, vegetables, and crops in the genus Brassica. Other notable host plants include tobacco, sunflower, and tomato, making this pest species particularly economically damaging.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beet armyworm</span> Species of moth

The beet armyworm or small mottled willow moth is one of the best-known agricultural pest insects. It is also known as the asparagus fern caterpillar. It is native to Asia, but has been introduced worldwide and is now found almost anywhere its many host crops are grown. The voracious larvae are the main culprits. In the British Isles, where it is an introduced species and not known to breed, the adult moth is known as the small mottled willow moth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angle shades</span> Species of moth

The angle shades is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is distributed throughout Europe as far east as the Urals and also in the Azores, in Algeria, and in Asia Minor, Armenia, and Syria. It is strongly migratory.

<i>Agrochola lota</i> Species of moth

Agrochola lota, the red-line Quaker, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759. It is distributed throughout the whole of Europe except Scandinavia; in Armenia, Asia Minor, and east across the Palearctic to the Altai Mountains and western Siberia.It was introduced to Newfoundland. In the Alps, it rises at altitudes of just over 1500 metres.

<i>Orthosia miniosa</i> Species of moth

Orthosia miniosa, the blossom underwing, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found in Europe.

<i>Ipimorpha subtusa</i> Species of moth

Ipimorpha subtusa, the olive, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the Palearctic realm.

<i>Ceramica pisi</i> Species of moth

The Broom Moth(Ceramica pisi) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in all of Europe, East across the Palearctic to Siberia and the Russian Far East. In the north, it is found far beyond the Arctic Circle and in the south to northern Spain. In the Alps, it is found at heights of up to 2,000 metres.

<i>Cucullia chamomillae</i> Species of moth

Cucullia chamomillae, the chamomile shark, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found in Central Europe, Southern Europe, the Near East and North Africa.

<i>Sideridis rivularis</i> Species of moth

Sideridis rivularis, the campion, is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in from the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula, through the whole of Europe. To the east, it is found in Central Asia and Siberia, up to Manchuria. To the south, it is found in the Mediterranean Sea region and parts of Asia Minor. In the Alps, it is found at up to 1,600 metres above sea level.

<i>Tholera decimalis</i> Species of moth

Tholera decimalis, the feathered Gothic, is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Europe and Scandinavia then through the Palearctic to Asia minor, western Central Asia, southern Siberia and in North Africa.

<i>Xylena exsoleta</i> Species of moth

Xylena exsoleta, the sword-grass, is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae.

<i>Euxoa nigrofusca</i> Species of moth

Euxoa nigrofusca, the white-line dart, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from Europe, to southern Siberia, central Asia to the Pacific Ocean. In North Africa it is known from Morocco and Algeria.

<i>Mythimna pudorina</i> Species of moth

Mythimna pudorina, the striped wainscot, is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the Palearctic realm. Also Armenia, Asia Minor and eastern Siberia.

<i>Eurois occulta</i> Species of moth

Eurois occulta, the great brocade or great gray dart, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in northern and central Europe, North Asia and central Asia to the Pacific Ocean and Japan. Also the northern parts of North America. In addition, it is found in Greenland and Iceland. In the south in northern Spain and on the Balkan peninsula.

<i>Rusina ferruginea</i> Species of moth

The brown rustic is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Europe. then East across the Palearctic to the Sayan Mountains in Central Asia.

<i>Autographa jota</i> Species of moth

Autographa jota, commonly known as plain golden Y, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The nominate form is found in Europe. while the subspecies Autographa jota anatolica is found in the southern Balkans, south-western Asia, Turkey, the Caucasus, and north-western Iran.

<i>Actebia praecox</i> Species of moth

Actebia praecox, the Portland moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in northern and central Europe, the Caucasus, central Asia, Siberia, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, the Kuriles, northern Turkey, Mongolia, China, Korea and Japan.

<i>Agrotis ripae</i> Species of moth

Agrotis ripae, the sand dart, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1823. It is found in western Europe and North Africa and extends east across the Palearctic to steppe areas in Russia, Mongolia and Siberia.

<i>Lacanobia w-latinum</i> Species of moth

Lacanobia w-latinum, the light brocade, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1766. It is found in Europe, east to Turkmenistan and Anatolia.

<i>Egira conspicillaris</i> Species of moth

Egira conspicillaris, the silver cloud, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found from the Iberian Peninsula to Russia. In the north it ranges to the Baltic Region and in the south to North Africa. It is also present in the Near East, up to the Caspian Sea.

References

  1. Waring, Paul, Martin Townsend and Richard Lewington (2003) Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing, Hook, UK. ISBN   0-9531399-1-3.
  2. Robinson, Gaden S.; Ackery, Phillip R.; Kitching, Ian; Beccaloni, George W.; Hernández, Luis M. (2023). "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". Natural History Museum. doi:10.5519/havt50xw.