Mythimna conigera

Brown-line bright-eye
Mythimna conigera. Dorsal view
Side view
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Mythimna
Species:
M. conigera
Binomial name
Mythimna conigera
Synonyms
  • Phalaena (Noctua) floccida Esper, 1788

Mythimna conigera, the brown-line bright-eye, is a moth of the family Noctuidae.

Distribution

This species can be found in Europe and there is a disjunct population in the Sind Valley, Kashmir named subspecies angulifera (Moore, 1881) and east across the Palearctic from Asia Minor, Armenia, Central Asia, Siberia to Japan. [1][2]

Habitat

These moths inhabit open habitats, wet and dry meadows, in montane and subalpine areas. [3]

Technical description and variation

For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

The wingspan is 30–35 mm. [4] Forewing smooth pale ochreous suffused with brown except along costa; Forewing pale fulvous suffused with darker: lines fine, brown; inner line angled on submedian fold: outer sinuate, nearly parallel to outer margin; orbicular and reniform stigmata pale, indistinct, except lower lobe of reniform, which is marked by a snowwhite spot, and is often surrounded by a grey cloud: hindwing pale rufous, darker towards termen: -suffusa Tutt is a melanic form, without any yellow tint, from North England and W. Ireland.

Figs 1, 1a, 1b larvae after final moult

Larva dull yellow brown; dorsal line white, with dark edges: subdorsal line black; lateral lines white flecked with red, with a broad brown stripe running beneath them and above the black spiracles.[5] See also Hacker et al.[6]

Biology

The moth flies from June to July depending on the location. [4] The larvae feed on various grasses, including Dactylis glomerata, Elymus repens.[7] Phalaris arundinacea, Calamagrostis purpurea and Festuca species. [1]

References

Wikispecies has information related to Mythimna conigera.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mythimna conigera.
  1. ^ a b Funet
  2. ^ Fauna Europaea
  3. ^ Pieris.ch (in German)
  4. ^ a b UKmoths
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ Hermann Hacker, László Ronkay & Márton Hreblay: Noctuidae Europaeae vol. 4 Hadeninae I. Entomological Press, Sorø 2002, ISBN 87-89430-07-7
  7. ^ "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".