Eriopygodes imbecilla
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Noctuidae
Genus:
Eriopygodes
Species:
E. imbecilla
Binomial name
Eriopygodes imbecilla
(Fabricius, 1794)
Synonyms
  • Eriopygodes imbecillus (Fabricius, 1794)
  • Lasionycta imbecilla (Fabricius, 1794)
  • Noctua imbecilla Fabricius, 1794

Eriopygodes imbecilla, the Silurian, is a moth of the family Noctuidae first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1794.[1][2]

Distribution

This species is present in most of Europe.[3][4]

Habitat

This species commonly lives on gullies and hollows in high moorland areas with host plants.[5]

Description

The wingspan is 24–27 mm.[6][7] The colour of these small moths may vary from tawny to reddish brown. Forewings usually show a pale kidney mark and two wavy cross lines, but often these markings are quite indistinct. Usually females are darker or chocolate brown and smaller than the males.[5] The rear wings are often pale greyish. Seitz describes it E. imbecilla F. (= aliena male Hbn., alpina female Hbn., disparilis O., nexa Dup.) Forewing rufous ochreous, sometimes grey-tinged, in the male, rufous brown in the female; veins finely brownish; inner and outer lines brown; submarginal obscure, the marginal area beyond it generally darker; reniform stigma externally whitish, preceded by a brownish median shade ; hindwing greyish fuscous : fringe rufous. — Larva dirty grey, with a few yellowish grey hairs; dorsal line fine, whitish, traversing a series of black or brown oval blotches : lateral stripes dark grey, with a pale line at middle ; spiracles black , each with a shining black point above it; head blackish, with 3 white lines.[8]

Biology

Adults fly from June to July.[5] Larvae are polyphagous on low plants, mainly feeding on bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), heath bedstraw (Galium saxatile),[5] Knautia and Lamium.[4][9]

References

  1. ↑ BioLib.cz
  2. ↑ Catalogue of Life
  3. ↑ Fauna Europaea
  4. 1 2 Savela, Markku. "Lasionycta imbecilla (Fabricius, 1794)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Butterfly Conservation
  6. ↑ "Eriopygodes imbecilla (Fabricius, 1794) - Silurian". The Cockayne Collection. Natural History Museum, London.
  7. ↑ The Moths of Suffolk
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa
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