British Insects: the Genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae
British Insects: the Genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae |
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Metaxyja Hübner, Exarnis Hübner, Brotis Hübner, Telmia Hübner.
Head rough. Face with a small truncate-conical prominence having a raised rim. Eyes glabrous; not ciliated. Antennae of males dentate.
Wingspan 28–40 mm. Forewings ochreous, dark or reddish brown, slate grey, dark purple-tinged grey-brown or blackish; complexly patterned (with dark and pale markings, often with a pale streak along the basal half of the costa); the patterning well marked to obscure; reniform defined; orbicular defined (often linked with the reniform by a dark streak); claviform defined. Hindwings white to whitish, or whitish-fuscous, or fuscous; plain, or terminally darkened (usually); with a clear discal mark, or without a clear discal mark; without transverse lines; exhibiting vein 5. Vein 5 of the hindwings strong (distally); arising nearer to vein 6 than to vein 4. Thorax crested (front and rear). Middle tibiae with spines. Posterior tibiae with spines. Abdomen not crested.
Living adults found July and August.
Larvae, pupae. Larvae feeding on diverse Dicot herbs; pupating in the soil (deeply, or near the surface).
General comments. The head and thorax coloured like the forewings, the abdomen lighter than them and coloured like the hindwings or darker than the hindwings.
British representation. 4 species; South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland; E. cursoria (Coast Dart), E. nigricans (Garden Dart), E. obelisca (Square-spot Dart), E. tritici (White-line Dart).
Classification. Noctuinae.
Illustrations. • The 5 British species: Newman. • 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: 18th September 2008. http://delta-intkey.com’.
