Agrochola lychnidis
| Agrochola lychnidis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
| Genus: | Agrochola |
| Species: | A. lychnidis |
| Binomial name | |
| Agrochola lychnidis Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 | |
The Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout the whole of Europe from Ireland to the Urals.It also occurs in western North Africa and Asia minor.
- See glossary for terms used
The wingspan is 30–35 mm.Forewing bright rufous or reddish ochreous with the veins paler, often dusted with darker; inner and outer lines double, dark, with the centre rufous, often very faint, but always marked by black spots on costa; submarginal line preceded by a row of dark lunules between the veins and by a dark bar at costa; median shade distinct; stigmata blackish,distinct, especially the narrow oblique orbicular; hindwing dark grey, the fringe rufous. This species varies in colour exceedingly; the brighter rufous specimens, with pale veins, represent typical lychnidis F.; the duller brownish forms, also with pale veins, are pistacina F. ; - rubetra Esper the bright rufous unicolorous form with all markings indistinct, and the costal edge often conspicuously white at middle, of which ferrea Haw. is an offshoot, having only the 4 costal blotches and the stigmata dark ; the paler, reddish ochreous, unicolorous form is obsoleta Tutt ; of the forms without red colouring, serina Esp. has the markings plain, while in pallida Tutt they are obscure, the ground colour being greyish ochreous or yellowish;of the brownish rufous or brownish grey forms, brunnea Tutt is a more sombre form than pistacina without pale nervures ; canaria Esp. is a form in which the lines and veins and edges of the stigmata are dull fulvous and the ground colour blackish, as a rule much darker in the male than in the female; dark specimens like these also occur but with the light shades only dull brown and the dark interspaces not so black; caerulescens Calb. from Italy, is a bluish or lilac grey insect; this form also occurs in Asia Minor; a large number of examples from Amasia, especially females, agree exactly, while the rest, mainly males become greyish luteous, as in serina, with the markings varying in intensity".[1]
Biology
The larvae are polyphagous feeding on low plants when small, later consuming the leaves of various trees and shrubs.[2] (Prunus, Salix, Achillea, Ranunculus etc.
The moths fly in September and October.
References
- ↑ 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
- ↑ "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.".
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