| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae |
~ Melanchra Hübner
Adults. Head rough. Eyes hairy; not ciliated. Antennae of males ciliate.
Wingspan 36–42 mm. Thorax coloured like the forewings, abdomen coloured like the hindwings. Forewings reddish brown; reddish brown; complexly patterned; the patterning mainly obscure (but constantly featuring a submarginal, interrupted, wavy, light transverse line which expands into a blotch near the inner angle); reniform defined; orbicular defined; claviform undefined. Hindwings whitish and fuscous (suffused with whitish), or fuscous and brownish (tinged with reddish brown); plain to conspicuously patterned (fairly plain, though very narrowly dark margined and more or less lined); with a clear discal mark; transversely lined (one or two, sometimes rather clear); exhibiting vein 5. Vein 5 of the hindwings weak; arising nearer to vein 6 than to vein 4. Thorax crested (front and back). Posterior tibiae without spines (?). Abdomen crested.
Living adults found in June.
Larvae, pupae. Larvae posteriorly rounded to posteriorly tapered; feeding on Sarothamnus, Myrica, Rubus, Salix, etc., and Bracken.
British representation. 1 species; South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland; pisi (The Broom Moth).
Hadeninae.
Illustrations. • C. pisi (The Broom Moth), and related genera: Newman. 1, Lacanobia contigua (Beautiful Brocade); 2, Lacanobia w-latinum (Light Brocade); 3, Lacanobia oleracea (Bright-line Brown-eye); 4(a)-(c), Lacanobia thalassina (Pale-shouldered Brocade); 5, Lacanobia suasa (The Dog's Tooth); 6, Lacanobia blenna (The Stranger); 7(a)-(c), Lacanobia biren (Brindled Green); 8, CERAMICA pisi (The Broom Moth); 9, Cerapteryx graminis (The Antler Moth); 10, Hecatera dysodea (Small Ranunculus); 11, Hecatera bicolorata (Broad-barred White); 12, Tholera cespitis (Hedge Rustic); 13, Tholera decimalis (Feathered Gothic). • Noctuinae and Hadeninae: Kirby. NOCTUINAE. 1,Rhacia simulans (True Lover's Knot); 2, Acylia putris (Flame); 3, Agrotis exclamationis (Heart and Dart); 4, Euxoa tritica (White Line Dart); 5, Agrotis ipsilon (Dark Sword-grass); 6, Agrotis segetum (Common Dart, or Turnip Moth); 7, Agrotis vestigialis (Archer's Dart); 8, Ochropleura praecox (Portland Moth); 9, Anaplectoides prasina (Green Arches); 10, Eurois occulta (Great Brocade). HADENINAE. 11, Cerapteryx graminis (Antler Moth); 12, Tholera decimalis (Feathered Gothic); 13, Pacheta sagittigera (Feathered Ear); 14, Polia bombycina (Pale Shinibg Brown); 15, Polia trimaculosa (Silvery Arches); 16, Polia nebulosa (Grey Arches); 17, Lacanobia contigua (Beautiful Brocade); 18, Ceramica pisi (Broom Moth); 19, Mamestra brassicae (Cabbage Moth); 20, Melanchra persicariae (Dot). From Kirby 35.
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’.
