Mythimna l-album

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Mythimna l-album
Mythimna l-album.jpg
Scientific classification
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M. l-album
Binomial name
Mythimna l-album

Mythimna l-album, the L-album wainscot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1767 12th edition of Systema Naturae. It is distributed throughout Europe, but is also found in North Africa from Morocco to Tunisia and in the Levant, then east across the Palearctic to Central Asia. It is not found in the far north of the Arabian Peninsula. The limit in the north varies. It occurs on the northern edge of the range as a migrant. From southern England, then Denmark and southern Scandinavia, the north limit cuts across the Baltic Sea across the Baltic states then south of Moscow to the Urals.

Moth Group of mostly-nocturnal insects in the order Lepidoptera

Moths comprise a group of insects related to butterflies, belonging to the order Lepidoptera. Most lepidopterans are moths, and there are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of which have yet to be described. Most species of moth are nocturnal, but there are also crepuscular and diurnal species.

Noctuidae family of insects

The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other families of the Noctuoidea. It was considered the largest family in Lepidoptera for a long time, but after regrouping Lymantriinae, Catocalinae and Calpinae within the family Erebidae, the latter holds this title now. Currently, Noctuidae is the second largest family in Noctuoidea, with about 1,089 genera and 11,772 species. However, this classification is still contingent, as more changes continue to appear between Noctuidae and Erebidae.

A species description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species which have been described previously or are related. The species description often contains photographs or other illustrations of the type material and states in which museums it has been deposited. The publication in which the species is described gives the new species a formal scientific name. Some 1.9 million species have been identified and described, out of some 8.7 million that may actually exist. Millions more have become extinct.

Contents

Technical description and variation

The wingspan is 30–35 mm. The length of the forewings varies from 15 to 16 mm. Forewing greyish ochreous, tinged with olive brown through cell towards apex and along outer margin below apex; outer half of median vein white, shortly hooked at end; veins 3 and 4 whitish: a black streak from base below cell; veins pale outlined with dark; the oblique streak from apex with black marks between veins on each side; a pale submarginal band below middle; hindwing grey, becoming fuscous towards termen.

Wingspan distance from the tip of one limb such as an arm or wing to the tip of the paired limb, or analogically the same measure for airplane wings

The wingspan of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777-200 has a wingspan of 60.93 metres, and a wandering albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of 3.63 metres, the official record for a living bird. The term wingspan, more technically extent, is also used for other winged animals such as pterosaurs, bats, insects, etc., and other fixed-wing aircraft such as ornithopters. In humans, the term wingspan also refers to the arm span, which is distance between the length from one end of an individual's arms to the other when raised parallel to the ground at shoulder height at a 90º angle. Former professional basketball player Manute Bol stands at 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) and owns one of the largest wingspans at 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m).

Larva yellowish brown; dorsal line fine, paler, with black edges; subdorsal line black, edged above with pale; below it some faint dark lines; spiracles black. [1]

Spiracle (arthropods) opening in the exoskeletons of some arthropods

A spiracle or stigma is the opening in the exoskeletons of insects and some more derived spiders to allow air to enter the trachea. In the respiratory system of insects, the tracheal tubes primarily deliver oxygen directly into the animals' tissues. The spiracles can be opened and closed in an efficient manner to reduce water loss. This is done by contracting closer muscles surrounding the spiracle. In order to open, the muscle relaxes. The closer muscle is controlled by the central nervous system, but can also react to localized chemical stimuli. Several aquatic insects have similar or alternative closing methods to prevent water from entering the trachea. The timing and duration of spiracle closures can affect the respiratory rates of the organism. Spiracles may also be surrounded by hairs to minimize bulk air movement around the opening, and thus minimize water loss.

The species occurs mainly in July and again in September and October. .

The species survives winter as a caterpillar when it feeds on various: Brachypodium pinnatum , Bromus inermis , Bromus sterilis , Dactylis glomerata , Deschampsia flexuosa , Elymus repens , Festuca , Festuca arundinacea , Festuca ovina , Phleum pratense , Poa annua , Poa nemoralis , Poa pratensis . Also on Rumex , Taraxacum , Plantago .

<i>Brachypodium pinnatum</i> species of plant

Brachypodium pinnatum, the heath false brome or tor-grass, is a species of grass with a widespread distribution in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It typically grows in calcareous grassland, and reaches 70–120 centimetres (28–47 in) tall. The flowerhead is open, with 10 to 15 erect spikelets.

<i>Bromus inermis</i> species of plant

Bromus inermis is a species of the true grass family (Poaceae). This rhizomatous grass is native to Europe.

<i>Bromus sterilis</i> species of plant

Bromus sterilis is an annual or biennial species of bromegrass known as barren brome, poverty brome, and sterile brome.

Related Research Articles

Flame shoulder Species of moth

The flame shoulder is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. It is distributed throughout the Palearctic from Ireland in the west to Siberia then Korea and Japan in the east.

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

Mythimna impura, the smoky wainscot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1808. It is distributed throughout most of the Palearctic ecozone from Ireland in the west of Europe east to the Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, Kazakhstan, Russia, Siberia, Mongolia then Japan. In Europe it is found from the Arctic Circle to Spain and Italy in the south, as well as in the northern regions of Greece.

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

Mythimna pallens, the common wainscot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae distributed throughout the Palearctic ecozone from Ireland in the west, through Europe to Central Asia and Amur to the Kuriles in the east. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

Shoulder-striped wainscot Species of moth

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Straw underwing Species of moth

The straw underwing is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from North Africa west through South Europe and Central Europe. In the north it is in parts of Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Estonia. Further east the range stretches from southern Russia and Asia minor to the Caucasus.

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

Mythimna albipuncta, the white-point, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is distributed throughout Europe and one subspecies is found in Tunisia. It is also found in Asia Minor, Armenia, and Iran.

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

Mythimna vitellina, the delicate, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1808. It is mainly distributed throughout southern Europe and the southern part of eastern Europe. It is also found far less commonly further north in Europe. Also in North Africa, the Near East and Middle East, Central Asia and western China.

<i>Capsula sparganii</i> Species of moth

Capsula sparganii, or Webb's wainscot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1790. It is found in Europe, Central Asia, from southern Siberia to Manchuria, Korea, Turkey, Syria and Iran.

<i>Asteroscopus sphinx</i> Species of moth

The Sprawler(Asteroscopus sphinx) is a moth of the family Noctuoidea. It is found throughout western Europe,but is mainly a Northern species occurring South to Northern Spain the southern edge of the Alps, Central Italy and Northern Greece. North to southern Sweden. East to Kaliningrad and Moscow. Also in Central Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus and Asia Minor.

<i>Hypena crassalis</i> Species of moth

Hypena crassalis, the beautiful snout, is a moth of the family Noctuoidea. It is found in Europe.

<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 ecozone. Also Armenia, Asia Minor and eastern Siberia.

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

Mythimna straminea, the southern wainscot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Georg Friedrich Treitschke in 1825. It is found in the western parts of the Palearctic ecozone, including Morocco, Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus, Israel and Lebanon.

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

Mythimna turca, the double line, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. It is found in Europe. The eastern expansion extends through northern Asia and central Asia to northern China, Korea and Japan. It rises to a height of about 700 metres in the Alps.

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

Mythimna conigera, the brown-line bright-eye, is a moth of the family Noctuidae.

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

Mythimna litoralis, the shore wainscot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae.

<i>Grammodes stolida</i> Species of moth

Grammodes stolida, the geometrician, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in Africa, southern Europe, most of Asia and Australia. It migrates to central and northern Europe as far north as England, Denmark and Finland.

<i>Leucania loreyi</i> Species of moth

Leucania loreyi, the cosmopolitan, false army worm or nightfeeding rice armyworm, is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in most of African countries, the Indo-Australian subtropics and tropics of India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, the eastern Palearctic ecozone and the Near East and Middle East. The species was first described by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1827.

<i>Denticucullus pygmina</i> Species of moth

Denticucullus pygmina, the small wainscot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in most of Europe, ranging from northern Spain, through Portugal as far north as Finland. In the east it is found across the Palearctic to the Russian Far East and western Siberia. It is also found in North Africa, Turkey, the Caucasus region and northern Iran.

<i>Archanara dissoluta</i> Species of moth

Archanara dissoluta, the brown-veined wainscot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Georg Friedrich Treitschke in 1825. It is found in most of Europe, east into Russia and Siberia.

<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 Western Asia, up to the Caspian Sea.

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
  1. ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.