Hadena perplexa

Hadena perplexa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Hadena
Species: H. perplexa
Binomial name
Hadena perplexa
(Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
Synonyms
  • Anepia perplexa
  • Noctua perplexa Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
  • Phalaena (Noctua) lepida Esper, 1790
  • Phalaena (Noctua) carpophaga Brahm, 1791
  • Phalaena (Noctua) carpophaga Borkhausen, 1792
  • Noctua ochracea Haworth, 1809
  • Dianthoecia capsophila Duponchel, 1842
  • Miselia nisus Germar, 1842
  • Opigena repanda Herrich-Schäffer, 1850
  • Miselia atlas Prout, 1928
  • Dianthoecia capsophila f. sicula Draudt, 1933

The Tawny Shears or Pod Lover (Hadena perplexa) is a species of moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Europe, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Northern Asia, Central Asia, northern India and western China.

Larva

Technical Description and variation

See glossary for terms used

The wingspan is 27–36 mm.Forewing olive grey brown or olive ochreous, clouded with darker; claviform stigma large, dark; orbicular and reniform with brown centres and white rings outlined with black; some black toothlike marks before submarginal line; hindwing dirty grey, darker towards termen; the veins dark. This darker form is the usual one throughout Europe; but is replaced in Britain by ochracea Haw. which is pale ochraceous with slightly darker markings; examples with an actually white ground colour are found on the chalk of the South of England, ab. pallida Tutt on the other hand, the darkest forms of ochracea Haw., with few markings but uniform in coloration, are known as brunnea Tutt.[1]

Biology

Adults are on wing from February to May in one generation in Israel. In Europe flying from April to June, depending on the micro climate of the habitat locally bivoltine, flying from April to June and from August to September.

Larva pale putty colour, with the lines indistinct. The larvae feed on the flowers and seeds of Dianthus, Lychnis and Silene species. Other recorded food plants include Melandrium viscosum, Melandrium rubrum and Viscaria vulgaris.[2]

Subspecies

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., 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.".

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hadena perplexa.