Amphipoea oculea

Amphipoea oculea, the ear moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761 and it is found in most of the Palearctic realm.

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

Amphipoea oculea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Noctuidae
Genus:
Amphipoea
Species:
A. oculea
Binomial name
Amphipoea oculea
(Linnaeus, 1761)
Synonyms
  • Phalaena Noctua oculea Linnaeus, 1761
  • Phalaena Noctua nictitans Linnaeus, 1761
  • Noctua chrysographa Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
  • Phalaena Noctua splendens Borkhausen, 1792
  • Noctua myopa Fabricius, 1794
  • Noctua cinerago Fabricius, 1794
  • Noctua auricula Donovan, 1807
  • Noctua erythrostigma Haworth, 1809
  • Apamea oculea var. struvei Oberthür, 1818

The wingspan is 29–34 mm. Forewing pale or dark ferruginous brown; the veins brown; inner and outer lines double, brown, wide apart; the inner curved outwards between, and toothed inwards on, the veins; the outer with the inner arm thin, lunulate-dentate, the outer thick, continuous and parallel; a thick dark median shade running between the stigmata; submarginal line indistinct, waved, angled on vein 7, above which it is preceded by a dark costal patch; orbicular stigma rounded, orange, with a brown ring; reniform white, with the veins across it brown and containing on the discocellular a brown-outlined lunule, of which the centre is yellowish; the colour with brown outline; hindwing fuscous grey, paler towards base; the fringe rufous tinged.[1]

Adults are found from June to September depending on the location. There is one generation per year.

The larvae feed on the stems and roots of various grasses and low plants, including Petasites hybridus.[2]

Similar species

Requiring genitalic examination

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, Gaden S.; Ackery, Phillip R.; Kitching, Ian J.; Beccaloni, George W.; Hernández, Luis M. "Search the database - introduction and help". HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London.


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