Craniophora ligustri

Craniophora ligustri, the coronet, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found in Europe, through the Palearctic to Japan.

Caterpillar
Mounted adult

Coronet
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Craniophora
Species:
C. ligustri
Binomial name
Craniophora ligustri

Distribution

It is found from western and central Europe to the Russian Far East, northern China, Japan and Korea. In the north, the range extends to southern Scandinavia, the Baltic States and central Russia (approximately north to Saint Petersburg) as well as Ukraine. However, on the Iberian Peninsula, the species is limited to the north. In the eastern Mediterranean, it reaches northern Greece with smaller isolated occurrence in central Greece and the Peloponnese. The distribution area also includes Israel, Asia Minor and the Caucasus. It occurs in Cyprus.

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

The wingspan is 30–35 mm. Its forewings are purplish fuscous, more or less greenish tinged, with a paler patch beyond the cell; prothorax conspicuously whitish. — ab. sundevalli Lampa is a form in which both forewing and thorax are entirely dark olive green. ab. nigra Tutt has the forewing black throughout, without any green tinge, and has only been taken in the North of England; lastly, in ab. coronula Haw. the white apex is suffused with grey brown instead of green, with a white lunule on its inner edge.[1] The white patch distal to the reniform appears to resemble a crown, hence the name coronet.

Biology

The moth flies from April to September depending on the location. The caterpillars feed on Fraxinus excelsior, common lilac and Ligustrum vulgare.[2]

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".

Craniophora ligustri"]. De Vlinderstichting. (in Dutch) Retrieved 26 October 2020.


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