| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae |
Asteroscopus Boisduval, Petasia Stephens
Adults. Head rough. Eyes glabrous; ciliated. Antennae of males bipectinate (to the apex). Tongue poorly developed.
Wingspan 38–60 mm. Thorax patterned with dark lateral streaks in B. sphinx, plain brown in B. nubeculosa. Forewings brown; longitudinally streaked, or complexly patterned (dark-streaked only in B. sphinx, complexly patterned in B. nubeculosa); the patterning well marked; reniform defined, or undefined; orbicular undefined; claviform undefined. Hindwings whitish, or fuscous, or grey; plain, or conspicuously patterned (darkly veined, with small fuscous spots along the margin); with 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 not crested. Posterior tibiae without spines. Abdomen not crested.
Living adults found March and April (B. nubeculosa), or March and April (B. sphinx).
Larvae, pupae. Larvae posteriorly humped; feeding on various woody Dicots; pupating in the soil.
British representation. 2 species; South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, and Wales; B. nubeculosa (Rannoch Sprawler), B. sphinx (The Sprawler, = Asteroscopus).
Cuculliinae.
Illustrations. • B. nubeculosa (Rannoch Sprawler) and B. sphinx (The Sprawler, with related genera: Newman. 1, Atethmia centrago (Centre-barred Sallow); 2, Agrochola circellaris (The Brick); 3, Agrochola lota (Red-line Quaker); 4, Agrochola macilenta (Yellow-line Quaker); 5, Agrochola helvola (Flounced Chestnut); 6, Agrochola litura (Brown-spot Pinion); 7(a) and (b), Agrochola lychnidis (Beaded Chestnut); 8, Xanthia citrago (Orange Sallow); 9(a) and (b), Xanthia icteritia (The Sallow); 10, Xanthia togata (Pink-barred Sallow); 11, Xanthia aurago (Barred Sallow); 12, Xanthia gilvago (Dusky-lemon Sallow); 13, Brachionycha nubeculosa (Rannoch Sprawler); 14, Brachionycha sphinx (The Sprawler). From Newman, 1869. • B. nebulosa and B. sphinx, with other Cuculliinae: Kirby. CUCULLIINAE. 1, Xanthia gilvago (Dusky Lemon Sallow); 2, Jodia croceago (Orange Upper-wing); 3, “Mecoptera fragariae”, = ?; 4, Conistra erythrocephala (Red-headed Chestnut); 5, “Orrhodia silene”, = ?; 6, Conistra vacciniae (Chestnut); 7, Conistra rubiginea (Dotted Chestnut); 8, Eupsilia transversa (Satellite); 10, Lithophane socia (Pale Pinion); 11, Lithophane furcifera; 12, Lithophane ornitopus (Grey Shoulder-knot); 13, Xylena vetusta (Red Sword-Grass); 14, Xylena exsoleta (Sword-Grass); 15, Lithomoia solidaginis (Golden-rod Brindle); 17, Brachionycha nebulosa (Rannoch Sprawler); 18, Brachionycha sphinx (Sprawler); 19, Calophasia opalina; 20, Calophasia lunula (Flax Moth). OPHIDERINAE. 9, Scoliopteryx libatrix (Herald). From Kirby 37, with updated names.
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’.
