| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae |
Adults. Face with a rounded prominence (this horny). Eyes glabrous; ciliated. Antennae of males dentate, or bipectinate (the apex simple). Labial palps short.
Wingspan 32–46 mm. Forewings grey, fuscous, dark brown, or blackish brown; complexly patterned; the patterning well marked; reniform defined; orbicular defined; claviform defined, or undefined. Hindwings silvery white (generally, in males), or white to whitish, or fuscous (in females); plain, or terminally darkened; with a clear discal mark, or without a clear discal mark; transversely lined, or without transverse lines; exhibiting vein 5. Vein 5 of the hindwings weak; arising nearer to vein 6 than to vein 4. Thorax crested (only slightly, front and rear). Posterior tibiae without spines. Abdomen crested.
Living adults found August to October.
Larvae, pupae. Larvae feeding on various, unrelated Dicot herbs and grasses, or after hibernation the opening buds of Salix, etc.; pupating in the soil (near the surface).
British representation. 3 species, or 4 species; South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland; A. australis (Feathered Brindle), A. lueneburgensis (Northern Deep-brown Dart, = A. lutulenta), A. lutulenta (Deep-brown Dart), A. nigra (Black Rustic).
Cuculliinae.
Illustrations. • A. australis pascuea (Feathered Brindle), A. lutulenta lutulenta (Deep-brown Dart) and Aporophyla nigra (Black Rustic), with related genera: Newman. 1(a) and (b), Cleoceris viminalis (Minor Shoulder-knot); 2, Leucochlaena oditis (Beautiful Gothic); 3(a)-(c), Dryobotodes eremita (Brindled Green); 4(a)-(c), Dasypolia templi (Brindled Ochre); 5, Lithomoia solidaginis (Golden-rod Brindle); 6, Valeria oleagina (Green-brindled Dot); 7(a) and (b), Aporophyla australis pascuea (Feathered Brindle); 8(a) and (b), Aporophyla lutulenta lutulenta (Deep-brown Dart); 9(a) and (b), Aporophyla nigra (Black Rustic); 10(a) and (b), Allophyes oxyacanthae (Green-brindled Crescent); 11, Trigonophora flammea (Flame Brocade); 12(a) and (b), Dichonia aprilina (Merveille-du-jour). From Newman, 1869. • A. nigra, with Hadeninae and Cuculliinae: Kirby. HADENINAE. 1, Lacanobia thalassina (Pale-shouldered Brocade); 2, Lacanobia suasa (Dog's Tooth); 3, Lacanobia oleracea (Bright-line Brown-eye); 4, Lacanobia w-latinum (Light Brocade); 5, Hada plebeja (Shears); 6, Dicestra trifolii (Nutmeg); 7, Heliophobus reticulata; 8, Hecatera dysodea (Ranunculus Moth); 9, Hecatera bicolorata (Broad-barred White); 10, Hadena caesia; 11, Hadena confusa (Marbled Coronet); 12, Hadena compta; 13, Hadena bicruris (Lychnis); 14, Hadena rivularis (Campion Moth); 15, Hadena perplexa (Tawny Shears); 16, Hadena irregularis; 17, “Episema trimacula”, cf. E. tersa. CUCULLIINAE. 18, Aporophyla nigra (Black Rustic); 19, Ammoconia caecimacula; 20, Polymixis polymita; 21, Polymixis flavicincta (Large Ranunculus); 22, Antitype chi (Grey Chi). From Kirby 39, with names updated. • Aporophyla nigra (Black Rustic): 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’.
