| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae |
Apatela, Apatele Hubner, Cuspidia Chapman, Hyboma Hübner, Jocheaera Hübner, Pharetra Hübner, Semaphora Guenée, Subacronicta Kozhantshikov
Adults. Head rough. Eyes glabrous; not ciliated. Antennae of males minutely ciliate. Tongue well developed.
Wingspan 30–45 mm. Head, thorax and abdomen generally grey, the abdomen variously similar in colour to the hindwings, or lighter, or darker. Forewings dark or light grey with darker or black markings; pale grey, or grey; neither green nor greenish tinged; plain (almost), or patterned transversely, or complexly patterned (mostly complexly patterned, but almost plain with the pattern reduced to a few dots on some forms of A. leporina); the patterning mostly well marked; reniform defined, or undefined; orbicular defined, or undefined; claviform undefined. Hindwings white, or whitish, or whitish-fuscous, or fuscous, or grey; plain, or terminally darkened; with a clear discal mark (rarely), or without a clear discal mark; transversely lined (strigosa), or without transverse lines (mostly); exhibiting vein 5. Vein 5 of the hindwings weak; arising nearer to vein 6 than to vein 4. Thorax crested to not crested (no more than a slight posterior crest). Middle tibiae without spines. Posterior tibiae without spines; rough-scaled. Abdomen crested (only slightly, basally), or not crested.
Living adults found May to August.
Larvae, pupae. Larvae conspicuously hairy (commonly, sometimes with humps and/or warts); with red markings (often), or without red markings; posteriorly humped (sometimes also anteriorly), or posteriorly rounded; feeding on a wide range of woody and herbaceous Dicots; pupating on vegetative parts of the foodplant, or in or under bark or rotten wood, or on the surface of the ground (in a silken cocoon).
British representation. 12 species (one adventive); South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland; A. aceris (The Sycamore), A. alni (The Alder), A. auricoma (Scarce Dagger), A. cuspis (Large Dagger, with only an uncofirmed 19th Century record), A. euphorbiae myricae (Sweet-gale Moth), A. megacephala (Poplar Grey), A. leporina (Miller), A. menyanthidis (Light Knot-grass), A. psi (Grey Dagger), A. rumicis (Knot-grass), A. strigosa (Marsh Dagger), A. tridens (Dark Dagger).
Acronictinae.
Illustrations. • Acronictinae: Acronicta rumicis (Knot-grass: B. Ent. 136). • Acronicta rumicis: (B. Ent. 136, legend+text. • Acronicta rumicis: B. Ent. 136, text cont.. • 11 Acronicta species, with other Acronictinae: Newman. 1, Moma alpium (Scarce Merveille-du-jour); 2, Acronicta megacephala (Poplar Grey); 3, Acronicta aceris (The Sycamore: 1b representing a dark var.); 4, Acronicta leporina (The Miller); 5, Acronicta alni (The Alder); 6, Acronicta tridens (Dark Dagger, 6a representing the typical form); 7, Acronicta psi (Grey Dagger); 8, Acronicta strigosa (Marsh Dagger); 9, Acronicata menyanthidis (Light Knot-Grass, a and b representing the typical form); 10, Acronicta auricoma (Scarce Dagger); 11, Acronicta euphorbiae myricae (Sweet Gale Moth); 12, Acronicta rumicis (The Knot-Grass); 13, Simyra albovenosa (Powdered Wainscot); 14, Craniophora ligustri (The Coronet); 15, Cryphia algae (Tree-lichen Beauty); 16, Cryphia domestica (Marbled beauty); 17, Cryphia muralis (Marbled Green). From Newman, 1869. • Acronictinae: Kirby. ACRONICTINAE. 10, Simyra albovenosa (Reed Dagger); 12, Acronicta leporina (Miller); 13, Acronicata aceris (Sycamore); 14, Acronicta megacephala (Poplar Grey); 15, Acronicta alni (Alder Moth); 16, Acronicta tridens (Dark Dagger); 17, Acronicta psi (Grey Dagger); 18, Acronicta auricoma (Scarce Dagger); 19, Acronicta rumicis (Knot-grass); 20, Craniophora ligustri (Coronet). From Kirby 33. • Acronictinae (Cryphia): Kirby. ACRONICTINAE. 1, Cryphia raptricula; 2, Cryphia algae (Tree-lichen Beauty); 3, Cryphia muralis (Marbled Green); 4; Cryphia domestica (= perla: Marbled Beauty); 5, Moma alpium (Scarce Merveille du Jour). From Kirby 34. • Larvae of A. aceris (Sycamore) and A. euphorbiae: Duponchel and Guénée (1849). Noctuidae. 1, A. euphorbiae. 2, A. aceris (Sycamore). Duponchel and Guénée, 1849. • Larvae of A. megacephala (Poplar Grey) and A. rumicis (Knot-grass): Duponchel and Guénée (1849). Noctuidae. 1, A. megacephala (Poplar Grey). 2, A. rumicis (Knot-grass). Duponchel and Guénée, 1849.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, 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. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae. Version: 14th February 2021. delta-intkey.com’.
