| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae |
Adults. Head rough. Eyes glabrous; not ciliated. Antennae of males ciliate. Tongue poorly developed. Labial palps short.
Wingspan 30–52(–62) mm. Thorax and abdomen coloured like the forewings, with the abdomen darker than the hindwings. Forewings dingy light brownish or greyish brown; complexly patterned; the patterning well marked to obscure; reniform defined; orbicular defined; claviform defined to undefined. Hindwings white, or whitish, or whitish-fuscous; plain; 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), or not crested. Middle tibiae without spines. Posterior tibiae without spines; rough-scaled. Abdomen crested, or not crested.
Living adults found June and July, or August to October.
Larvae, pupae. Larvae feeding on grasses, amongst stems and roots.
British representation. 4 species; South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland; L. dumerilii (Dumeril’s Luperina), L. nickerlii (Sand-hill Rustic), L. testacea (Flounced Rustic), L. zollikoferi (Scarce Arches).
Amphipyrinae.
Comments. L. zollikoferi, a larger insect than the rest, was formerly placed with Apamea species, which the adult more closely resembles in available illustrations.
Illustrations. • L. dumerilii (Dumeril’s Luperina) and L. testacea (Flounced Rustic), with 6 related genera: Newman. 1(a) and (b), Photedes captiuncula (Least Minor); 2(a)-(c), Photedes pygmina (Small Wainscot); 3(a) and (b), Photedes minima (Small Dotted Buff); 4, Photedes elymi (The Lyme Grass); 5, Photedes morrisii (Bond's Wainscot); 6, Photedes brevilinea (Fenn's Wainscot); 7(a) and (b), Photedes extrema (The Concolorous); 8(a) and (b), Photedes fluxa (Mere Wainscot); 9(a) and (b), Amphipoea spp. (The Ear - requiring examination of genitalia to distinguish the species); 10, LUPERINA testacea (Flounced Rustic); 11, LUPERINA dumerilii (Dumeril's Luperina); 12, Hydraecia micacea (Rosy Rustic); 13, Hydraecia petasitis (The Butterbur); 14, Gortyna flavago (Frosted Orange); 15(a) and (b), Celaena leucostigma leucostigma (The Crescent) 16, Celaena haworthii (Haworth's Minor); 17(a) and (b), Nonagria typhae (The Bullrush). From Newman, 1869. • L. testacea (Flounced Rustic), with Cuculliinae, Amphipyrinae and Noctuinae: Kirby 40. 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.
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’.
