Apamea furva

Apamea furva
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Noctuidae
Tribe: Apameini
Genus: Apamea
Species: A. furva
Binomial name
Apamea furva
(Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
Synonyms
  • Noctua furva Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
  • Phalaena (Noctua) impressa Esper, 1804
  • Noctua freyeri Boie, 1835
  • Mamestra infernalis Eversmann, 1842
  • Mamestra gemmosa Herrich-Schäffer, 1855
  • Mamestra furva f. italica Turati & Verity, 1911
  • Apamea furva britannica Cockayne, 1950

The Confused (Apamea furva) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found throughout Europe. In southwestern Europe it is primarily montane. It is found as far north as the Arctic Circle. From Europe its range extends to Siberia, Turkey, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and China (Xinjiang).

The population in Great Britain and Ireland is sometimes treated as a subspecies, Apamea furva britannica.

See glossary for terms used

The wingspan is 34–42 mm. Forewing varying from brownish to blackish fuscous,more or less dusted with grey or whitish scales, especially along costa and inner margin and along the veins; lines conversely edged with pale; claviform stigma black-edged, or filled in with black; orbicular grey, with pale ring and black outline, often obscure; reniform always whiter, especially on outer edge;submarginal line whitish, waved, always preceded by distinct black wedge-shaped marks; the brown fringe finely cut by pale dashes; hindwing smoky grey, the terminal half smoky fuscous; veins and cellspot darker; the blackish fuscous forms, still with paler dusting, are ab. freyeri [Boie] and infernalis Ev. the latter being the darker.[1]

Adults are on wing from July to August.

The larvae feed on the roots and stem bases of various grasses, including meadowgrasses, fescues, slimstem reedgrass, and wavy hairgrass.[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., et al. 2010. HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London.".
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