| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae |
~Apamea
Adults. Head rough. Eyes glabrous; not ciliated. Tongue well developed.
Wingspan 28–35 mm. Thorax coloured like the forewings, the abdomen like the hindwings. Forewings light to dark or reddish brown, or brown on an ochreous or creamy background; ochreous, or light brown, or brown, or reddish brown; neither green nor greenish tinged; neither purplish nor rosy marked or tinged; complexly patterned; the patterning well marked to obscure; reniform defined; orbicular defined to undefined; claviform defined to undefined. Hindwings 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. Middle tibiae without spines. Posterior tibiae without spines. Abdomen crested.
Living adults found July and August.
Larvae, pupae. Larvae not conspicuously hairy; posteriorly tapered; feeding on grasses, also Luzula; pupating in the soil.
British representation. 3 species (2 adventives); South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland (common); didyma* (Lesser Common Rustic), remmi* (Remm’s Rustic, one 1989 record), secalis (Common Rustic).
Amphipyrinae.
Illustrations. • Mesapamea secalis (Common Rustic, light and melanic: photos). Mesapamea secalis (Common Rustic), normal and melanic examples. The species exhibits relatively infrequent rural (non-industrial) melanism in natural habitats, seemingly with increased proportions of melanics in industrialised regions. Light and dark forms were encountered with about equal frequency around Leek (N. Staffs., in seemingly rural habitats about 10 and 30 miles respectively from heavily industrialised Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester) in the decade 1949–1959, when these examples were collected.
From Watson's collection. • M. secalis (Common Rustic), with 7 related genera: Newman. 1, Enargia paleacea (Angle-striped Sallow); 2, Parastichtis ypsillon (The Dismal, Dingy Shears); 3, Dicycla oo (The Heart Moth); 4, Mesoligia literosa (Rosy Minor); 5,(a)-(c), Mesoligia furuncula (Cloaked Minor); 6, Eremobia ochroleuca (Dusky Sallow); 7(a)-(c), Cosmia trapezina (The Dun-bar); 8, Cosmia affinis (Lesser-spotted Pinion); 9, Cosmia pyralina (Lunar-spotted Pinion); 10, Cosmia diffinis (White-spotted Pinion); 11, Hyppa rectilinea (The Saxon); 12(a)-(d), Oligia strigilis (Marbled Minor); 13, Oligia fasciuncula (Middle-barred Minor); 14(a)-(e), Mesapamea secalis (Common Rustic). From Newman, 1869. • M. secalis, 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’.
