| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae |
Abromias Billberg, Crymodes Guenée, Eremobina McDunnough, Hama Stephens, Pabulatrix Sugi, Septis Hübner, Syma Stephens, Xylophasia Stephens
Adults. Head rough. Eyes glabrous; not ciliated. Antennae of males ciliate. Tongue well developed.
Wingspan (30–)32–54 mm. Forewings various shades of brown or grey-brown; light brown, or brown, or reddish brown, or pale fuscous, or fuscous; neither green nor greenish tinged; neither purplish nor rosy marked or tinged; complexly patterned; the patterning well marked; reniform defined; orbicular defined; claviform defined, or undefined. Hindwings whitish-fuscous, or fuscous; plain, or terminally darkened; with a clear discal mark, or without a clear discal mark; without transverse lines; exhibiting vein 5. Vein 5 of the hindwings weak; arising nearer to vein 6 than to vein 4. Thorax crested (front and rear). Middle tibiae without spines. Posterior tibiae without spines. Abdomen crested.
Living adults found June and July, or July and August.
Larvae, pupae. Larvae posteriorly rounded; feeding on on various Dicot herbs and grasses, often in stems or roots; pupating on the surface of the ground, or in the soil (usually near the surface).
British representation. 17 species (one adventive). Status in Britain indigenous, or breeding immigrants, or vagrant, or adventive. South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland (local); A. anceps (Large Nutmeg), A. zeta marmorata (The Exile), A. zeta assimilis (Northern Arches), A. epomidion (Clouded Brindle), A. crenata (Clouded-bordered Brindle), A. furva britannica (The Confused), A. lateritia (Scarce Brindle, sporadic immigrant and perhaps transient resident), A. lithoxylaea (Light Arches), A. monoglypha (Dark Arches), A. oblonga (Crescent Striped), A. ophiogramma (The Double Lobed), A. pabulatricula (Union Rustic, = Eremobina), A. remissa (Dusky Brocade), A. scolopacina (Slender Brindle), A. sordens (Rustic Shoulder-knot), A. sublustris (Reddish Light Arches), A. unaniminis (Small Clouded Brindle).
Amphipyrinae.
Illustrations. • The 15 British Apamea species: Newman. 1(a) and (b), Apamea monoglypha (Dark Arches); 2, A. lithoxylaea (Light Arches); 3, A. sublustris (Reddish Light Arches); 4, A. zeta assimilis (Northern Arches. See supplementary image for A. zeta marmorata); 5, A. furva britannica (The Confused); 6, A. unaminis (Small Clouded Brindle); 7(a) and (b), A. crenata (Clouded-bordered Brindle); 8, A. epomidion (Clouded Brindle); 9, A. oblonga (The Crescent Striped); 10(a) and (b), A. remissa (Dusky Brocade); 11, A. sordens (Rustic Shoulder-knot); 12, A. anceps (Large Nutmeg); 13, A. pabulatricula (Union Rustic); 14, A. scolopacina (Slender Brindle); 15, A. ophiogramma (The Double Lobed). From Newman, 1869. • Apamea monoglypha (Dark Arches) and A. crenata (Clouded-bordered Brindle: light and melanic (photos). 1–2, Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha); 3–4, Clouded-bordered Brindle (Apamea crenata).
Specimens attracted to light in mixed deciduous woodland and urban habitats near Leek, N. Staffs. Light and melanic individuals of both species were abundant in the decade 1948–1958, in habitats ostensibly "rural", but about 10 and 30 miles miles from the heavily industrial regions of Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester, respectively. Both species seem to reflect drift from pre-existing “rural melanism” to “industrial melanism” in polluted environments. From Watson’s collection (1953). • A. epomidion (Clouded Brindle), A. lithoxylaea (Light Arches), A. sublustris (Reddish Light Arches), A. scolopacina (Slender Brindle), A. sordens (Rustic Shoulder-knot) (photos). Figs. 1–2, Apamea sublustris (Reddish Light Arches); 3–4, Apamea lithoxylaea (Light Arches); 5–6, Apamea epomidion (Clouded Brindle); 7–8, Apamea sordens (Rustic Shoulder-knot); 9–10, Apamea scolopacina (Slender Brindle).
1 and 2, Folkestone, Kent (Sept. 1914 and Sept. 1908); 3 Wormsley, July 1929 (F. Boddington); 4, Eccleshall Wood, July 1902; 5 and 6, Folkestone, June 1908 (R.A. Nichols); 7 and 8, Leek, Staffs, June 1953; 9 and 10, Leek (June 1952). From Watson's collection. • Apamea remissa (Dusky Brocade) and A. ophiogramma (The Double-lobed), photos). Figs. 1–7, all tentatively referred to Apamea remissa (formerly A. gemina, Dusky Brocade), including a melanic (Fig. 3); but cf. A. furva and A. oblonga. 8–9, Apamea ophiogramma (Double-lobed).
1–2 and 4–7, Cheddleton, near Leek, Staffs., June 1952–1957; 3, Roaches near Leek, June 1952. 8 and 9, Christchurch, Hants., July 1957. From Watson’s collection. • Apamea zeta marmorata (The Exile) and A. zeta assimilis (The Northern Arches): Newman. Apamea zeta marmorata (The Exile), and Apamea zeta assimilis (The Northern Arches). • Amphipyrinae (Photedes, Stilbia, Apamea, Spodoptera): Kirby. AMPHIPYRINAE. 9, Photedes morrisii bondii (Morris's Wainscot); 10, Stilbia anomala (The Anomalous Moth); 21, Apamea difflua var. assimilis (Northern Arches); 22, Apamea zeta marmorata (The Exile); 23, Spodoptera littoralis (Mediterranean Brocade). From Kirby 52. • 6 species, with other Cuculliinae, Amphipyrinae and Noctuinae: Kirby. CUCULLIINAE. 1, Dryobotodes eremita (Brindled Green); 2, Dichonia aprilina (Merveille-du-Jour); 3, Lamprosticta culta; 4, Meganephria bimaculosa (Double-spot Brocade); 5, Allophyes oxyacanthae (Green-brindled Crescent); 6, Valeria oleagina (Green Brindled Dot); 10, Blepharita satura (Beautiful Arches); 11, Eremobia ochroleuca (Dusky Sallow); 22, Hyppa rectilinea (Clouded Brocade); 23, Auchmis detersa. AMPHIPYRINAE. 7, Luperina testacea (Flounced Rustic); 8, Thalophila matura (Straw Underwing); 9, Calamia tridens virens (Burren Green); 12, Apamea lateritia (Scarce Brindle); 13, Apamea monoglypha (Dark Arches); 14, Apamea lithoxylaea (Light Arches); 15, Apamea sordens (Rustic Shoulder-knot); 16, Apamea crenata (Clouded-bordered Brindle); 17, Apamea remissa (Dusky Brocade); 18, Mesapamea secalis (Common Rustic); 19, Oligia strigilis (Marbled Minor); 20, Mesoligia furuncula (Cloaked Minor); 21, Dypterygia scabriuscula (Bird's Wing); 25, Callopistria juventina; 26, Polyphaenis sericata. NOCTUINAE. 24, Actinotia polyodon (Purple Cloud). From Kirby 40, with names updated. • Apamea oblonga (Crescent Striped)?: Stephens II, 1830.
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’.
