British Insects: the Genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae
British Insects: the Genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae | |
~ Melanchra Hübner.
Head rough. Eyes hairy; not ciliated. Antennae of males ciliate.
Wingspan 36–42 mm. Forewings reddish brown; reddish brown; complexly patterned; the patterning mainly obscure (but constantly featuring a submarginal, interrupted, wavy, light transverse line which expands into a blotch near the inner angle); reniform defined; orbicular defined; claviform undefined. Hindwings whitish and fuscous (suffused with whitish), or fuscous and brownish (tinged with reddish brown); plain to conspicuously patterned (fairly plain, though very narrowly dark margined and more or less lined); with a clear discal mark; transversely lined (one or two, sometimes rather clear); exhibiting vein 5. Vein 5 of the hindwings weak; arising nearer to vein 6 than to vein 4. Thorax crested (front and back). Posterior tibiae without spines (?). Abdomen crested.
Living adults found in June.
Larvae, pupae. Larvae posteriorly rounded to posteriorly tapered; feeding on Sarothamnus, Myrica, Rubus, Salix, etc., and Bracken.
General comments. Thorax coloured like the forewings, abdomen coloured like the hindwings.
British representation. 1 species; South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland; pisi (The Broom Moth).
Classification. Hadeninae.
Illustrations: • The British species, and 4 related genera. • Noctuinae (1–10) and Hadeninae: Kirby 35.
To view the illustrations with detailed captions, go to the interactive key. This also offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae. Version: 9th June 2008. http://delta-intkey.com’.
