Xestia alpicola

Xestia alpicola, the northern dart, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from northern Europe across the Palearctic to central Siberia and in the Alps.

Northern dart
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Xestia
Species:
X. alpicola
Binomial name
Xestia alpicola
Synonyms

Agrotis alpina Humphreys & Westwood, 1843
Agrotis carnica Hering, 1846
Agrotis iveni Hüber, 1870
Hadena alpicola Zetterstedt, 1839
Hadena aquilonaris Zetterstedt, 1839
Hadena hyperborea Zetterstedt, 1839
Orthosia glacialis Herrich-Schäffer, 1849
Xestia hyperborea Zetterstedt 1839

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

The wingspan is 35–40 mm. Forewing grey shaded with fuscous, with only a slight reddish tint in the middle, the stigmata, which are large, and the lines, fairly distinct; hindwing fuscous with pale fringe; the female smaller than the male; — ab. hyperborea Zett. has the grey ground more varied with reddish and fuscous, the markings clearer; — in ab. aquilonaris Zett., grey clouded with brownish fuscous, the markings are blurred; all these greyer forms are from Lapland; — ab. alpina Humphr. & Westw., is buff grey varied with red, occurring in the North of Scotland and Ireland; — ab. coerulescens Tutt is the rich red-brown form with lilac-grey markings and blackish wedge-shaped streaks, found in the Shetland isles; — ab. carnica Hering is the rufous insect taken in the Carinthian Alps.[1]

Biology

Adults are on wing from June to August. It has a two-year life cycle, the larvae overwintering twice.

Larva brown-red; dorsum with dark striae forming a row of V-shaped marks; dorsal and subdorsal lines ochreous, partially black-edged; spiracular pale and obscure. The larvae mainly feed on Empetrum nigrum, but have also been recorded from other plants, including Calluna

Habitat, Switzerland

Subspecies
  • Xestia alpicola alpicola (Zetterstedt, 1839) (northern Europe to central Siberia)
  • Xestia alpicola alpina (northern British Isles)
  • Xestia alpicola carnica (Hering, 1846) (Alps)
  • Xestia alpicola ryffelensis (Oberthür, 1904) (Alps)

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


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.