Lithophane ornitopus

Lithophane ornitopus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Lithophane
Species: L. ornitopus
Binomial name
Lithophane ornitopus
(Hufnagel, 1766)
Synonyms
  • Phalaena ornitopus Hufnagel, 1766
  • Lithophane pitzalisi Hartig, 1976
  • Noctua rizolitha Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
  • Lithophane lactipennis Dadd, 1911

The Grey Shoulder-knot (Lithophane ornitopus) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in most of the Palearctic ecozone from Ireland East to Siberia.

Technical Description and variation

See glossary for terms used

The wingspan is 32–38 mm.Forewing grey-white; a bifurcate black streak from base below cell; lines indistinct, pale with dotted edges; stigmata grey with partial black outlines and paler rings; the lower lobe of the reniform orange-tinged; claviform sometimes connected by a black streak with outer line, and often a dark spot between the stigmata ; submarginal line waved, white, preceded by dark marks; hindwing grey; the whiter forms are separated as ab. pallida Spul. [1]

Biology

Adults are on wing from late August to November and, after overwintering, again from the end of February to mid May.

Habitat, Czech Republic
Larva

Larva bluish-green dotted with white; dorsal and subdorsal lines white; spiracular line yellowish white.The larvae feed on various deciduous trees, but mainly Quercus species.[2] Larvae can be found from April to June. It overwinters as an adult.

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

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