Hoplodrina blanda

Hoplodrina blanda
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Hoplodrina
Species: H. blanda
Binomial name
Hoplodrina blanda
(Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

The Rustic (Hoplodrina blanda) is a moth of the family Noctuoidea. It is found in the Palearctic ecozone (Europe,Morocco, Russia Iran - south Urals, southwest Siberia).

Technical Description and variation

See glossary for terms used

The wingspan is 31–35 mm. The length of the forewings is 13–16 mm.Forewing fawn-tinged grey, with a fuscous suffusion, with the ground colour sometimes paler, more luteous ochreous, especially in examples from W. Turkestan; costal edge pale; inner and outer lines obscurely marked; the median and praesubmarginal shades distinct; stigmata fuscous grey, with pale annuli; hindwing whitish, grey-tinged towards termen; the veins and cell mark darker; altogether darker grey in the female. Occurs throughout Northern and Central Europe and in Central Asia. These Asiatic examples — from Issyk-Kul; the defile of Little Kisil-su, Tianshan; Kappak, Alexander Mts.; and Ketmen-tjube, Sussamyr Mts.; must be separated certainly as an ab. centralasiae ab. nov. [Warren] though very possibly a distinct species; the ground colour of the forewing is paler, tinged with pinkish brown along the two folds, and the dark markings stand out more conspicuously; the costal edge is pale; the hindwing, even in the female, is whiter, showing a distinct cell spot. Described from a series of more than a dozen males but only one female, from the above mentioned localities; the type male from Kappak, the female from Ketmen-tjube. [1] Similar to and confused with Hoplodrina octogenaria and Hoplodrina ambigua. Certain identification requires dissection of the genitalia.[2]

Biology

The moth flies in one generation from late May to early September. .

Larva ochreous withred or brown suffusion and dotted with dark; dorsal line yellowish edged with small black marks; subdorsal lines pale, dark-edged below; head pale marked with darker: on sundry low plants. The larvae feed on herbaceous plants such as Plantago, Stellaria and Rumex.[3]

Notes

  1. ^ The flight season refers to Belgium and the Netherlands. This may vary in other parts of the range.

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. ↑ Difficult Species Guide
  3. ↑ "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

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