Syngrapha interrogationis

Syngrapha interrogationis, the scarce silver Y, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the northern areas of the world, from Alaska, through Canada, Iceland, Europe, Siberia up to Northeast Asia including Japan.

Illustration

Syngrapha interrogationis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Syngrapha
Species:
S. interrogationis
Binomial name
Syngrapha interrogationis
Synonyms
  • Plusia interrogationis
  • Phalaena interrogationis
  • Noctua aemula
  • Phalaena conscripta
  • Noctua subpurpurina
  • Phalaena aurosignata
  • Plusia borealis
  • Plusia epsilon
  • Autographa zeta
  • Syngrapha pyrenaica
  • Syngrapha flammifera

Technical description and variation
For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

The wingspan is 32–38 mm. "Forewing bright purplish grey, suffused with black in median area and towards apex; the edges of the stigmata and the lines lustrous grey; inner and outer lines black, double; the inner sinuous above middle, and forming three small curves below it; the outer regularly crenulate throughout; the subterminal line preceded by a conspicuous black dentated and indented line, with a blackish cloud towards apex; a row of pale grey lunules before the terminal marks; the subcellular silvery mark highly variable, either forming a simple loop with fine silvery edge, - ab. orbata ab. nov. [Warren], — or followed by a small silvery dot, as in the type form, or by a large round spot conjoined to it, rarely separate, — ab. flammifera Huene; a development of this last, - ab. ignifera ab. nov. [Warren] — has the usual silvery mark pale yellow, as in some examples of flammifera, shaped like a tadpole, with deep fiery red scaling before the outer line, beyond the inner, and along the submedian fold; hindwing brownish luteous clouded with darker and with a broad blackish border; the type, male from Livonia, is in the Tring Museum; the subsp. transbaikalensis Stgr., from Dauria and East Siberia, is more uniform bluish grey, with very little black suffusion on forewing and paler, hindwings; this form is also recorded from Esthland by Petersen; ab. rosea Tutt, from Scotland, has a rosyground colour in place of bluish grey; ab. cinerea ab. nov. [Warren] has the ground colour dull ashy grey with scarcely any dark markings, except the subterminal line, and no purplish suffusion, the silvery mark a somewhat triangular loop; of this form the Tring Museum possesses three examples from Cedre, Hautes Pyrenees; in the same museum is still another grey form, much resembling cinerea, but with a complete silvery gamma mark and somewhat more developed dark shades; this specimen is from Cauterets in the Pyrenees, and may be distinguished as ab. gammifera ab. nov. [Warren]; these last two grey forms are probably specifically distinct from interrogationis L. "[1]

Subspecies

There are three recognised subspecies:

  • Syngrapha interrogationis interrogationis
  • Syngrapha interrogationis herschelensis (Benjamin, 1933)
  • Syngrapha interrogationis transbaikalensis (Staudinger, 1892)

Biology

The moth flies from June to August depending on the location.

Larva pale green; dorsal line dark, with pale edges; several pale wavy subdorsal lines and a broad whitish lateral line with dark upper edge. The larvae feed on the leaves of various plants, including Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium uliginosum, Betula, Calluna vulgaris, Andromeda polifolia and Urtica.[2]

Montane in northern and central Europe.

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".
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