Lithophane leautieri
| Blair's shoulder-knot | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
| Genus: | Lithophane |
| Species: | L. leautieri
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lithophane leautieri (Boisduval, 1829)
| |
Lithophane leautieri, the Blair's shoulder-knot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Europe. It originated from the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, but gradually moved north.
Technical description and variation
[edit]The wingspan is 39–44 mm. Forewing pale grey, dusted with olive grey; lines strongly dentate, but much obscured, marked by short oblique costal streaks; upper stigmata ill-defined, but united at their base by a long black line; the reniform with fulvous in lower half; claviform elongate, black-edged, united by a short black streak with outer line; a well-marked black streak from base on submedian fold; submarginal line indicated only by black dentate marks preceding it, of which the two on the folds are longest; fringe mottled dark and light grey; hindwing pale brownish grey, darker towards termen; ab. sabinae Geyer is rather smaller, blue-grey, more distinctly marked, especially the median shade and submarginal teeth; reniform stigma with hardly any fulvous in it; the two black lines on submedian fold hardly visible.[1]
Subspecies
[edit]- Lithophane leautieri sabinae (Geyer, 1832), Valais, Switzerland
- Lithophane leautieri nicaeenis Boursin, 1957, south Germany
- Lithophane leautieri cyrnos Boursin, 1957, Corsiaa und Sardinia
- Lithophane leautieri hesperica Boursin, 1957 Spain, Hetherlands and British Isles
- Lithophane leautieri andalusica Boursin, 1962, Sierra Nevada
- leautieri ochreimacula (Rothschild, 1914), Maghreb
Biology
[edit]The moth flies from September to mid-November.[1]
The larva is dark green, dorsal and subdorsal lines white, segmentally swollen and partially interrupted; spiracular line yellowish white. The larvae feed on various cypress species.[3]
The species primarily inhabits xerophilic cypress and juniper areas and can also be found in gardens and parks. The altitude distribution ranges from sea level to 1800 metres.
Notes
[edit]- ^ The flight season refers to Belgium and The Netherlands. This may vary in other parts of the range.
References
[edit]- ^ 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
- ^ László Ronkay, José Luis Yela, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 5. Sorø, 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9, S. 141–143
- ^ "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
[edit]
- Blair's shoulder-knot at UKmoths
- Funet Taxonomy
- Fauna Europaea
- Lepiforum.de
- Vlindernet.nl (in Dutch)