| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae |
Diataraxia Hübner, Papestra Sukhareva, Peucephila Hampson
Adults. Head rough. Eyes hairy; not ciliated. Antennae of males ciliate.
Wingspan 32–46 mm. Thorax and abdomen coloured like the forewings, or the abdomen lighter and like the hindwings. Forewings light-and-dark fuscous or grey, sometimes rosy- or purplish-tinged, or rich brown in L. oleracea; complexly patterned; the patterning well marked; reniform defined; orbicular defined; claviform defined. Hindwings whitish, or whitish-fuscous, or fuscous, or grey; 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 back). Posterior tibiae without spines (?). Abdomen more or less crested.
Living adults found May and June, or August and September.
Larvae, pupae. Larvae posteriorly rounded, or posteriorly tapered; feeding on foliage of diverse trees, shrubs, Dicot herbs and even Pteridium; pupating in the soil.
British representation. 8 species (one adventive); South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland; blenna* (The Stranger), biren (Glaucous Shears, = Papestra), contigua (Beautiful Brocade), oleracea (Bright-line Brown-eye), suasa (Dog's Tooth), thalassina (Pale-shouldered Brocade), w-latinum (Light Brocade).
Hadeninae.
Illustrations. • The 7 British species, with 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 (Pale-shouldered Brocade); 5, LACANOBIA suasa (The Dog's Tooth); 6, LACANOBIA (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). • 4 spcies, 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. • Noctuinae (1–10) and Hadeninae: Kirby 35. 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).
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’.
