| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae |
Diphthera Ochsenheimer
Adults. Head rough. Eyes glabrous; not ciliated. Antennae of males ciliate.
Wingspan 32–40 mm. Head and thorax green and black like the forewings, the dark-crested abdomen coloured like the hindwings. Forewings green, patterned in black and white; green; complexly patterned; the patterning well marked (with white longitudinal streaks interrupted by complexly broken black transverse lines); patterned lighter and darker; reniform defined; orbicular defined; claviform undefined. Hindwings fuscous; conspicuously patterned (with a light-edged dark spot at the inner angle, and a conspicuously black-and-white fringe); with a clear discal mark; transversely lined; exhibiting vein 5. Vein 5 of the hindwings weak; arising nearer to vein 6 than to vein 4. Thorax crested (slightly, anteriorly and posteriorly). Middle tibiae without spines. Posterior tibiae without spines. Abdomen crested.
Living adults found in June.
Larvae, pupae. Larvae conspicuously hairy (and warty); with red markings; feeding on Quercus foliage (mainly), also Fagus and Betula; pupating on vegetative parts of the foodplant.
British representation. 1 species; South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, and Northern England; alpium (Scarce Merveille-du-Jour).
Acronictinae.
Illustrations. • Acronictinae: Moma alpium (Scarce Merveille-du-jour: B. Ent. 404). • Moma alpium: B. Ent. 404, legend+text). • Moma alpium: B. Ent. 404, legend+text). • Acronictinae: M. alpium (Scarce Merveille-du-jour: B. Ent. 404). • M. alpium (Scarce Merveille-du-jour), with other Acronictinae: Newman. 1, Moma alpium (Scarce Merveille-du-jour); 2, Acronicta megacephala (Poplar Grey); 3, Acronicta aceris (The Sycamore: 1b representing a dark var.); 4, Acronicta leporina (The Miller); 5, Acronicta alni (The Alder); 6, Acronicta tridens (Dark Dagger, 6a representing the typical form); 7, Acronicta psi (Grey Dagger); 8, Acronicta strigosa (Marsh Dagger); 9, Acronicata menyanthidis (Light Knot-Grass, a and b representing the typical form); 10, Acronicta auricoma (Scarce Dagger); 11, Acronicta euphorbiae myricae (Sweet Gale Moth); 12, Acronicta rumicis (The Knot-Grass); 13, Simyra albovenosa (Powdered Wainscot); 14, Craniophora ligustri (The Coronet); 15, Cryphia algae (Tree-lichen Beauty); 16, Cryphia domestica (Marbled beauty); 17, Cryphia muralis (Marbled Green). From Newman, 1869. • Acronictinae (Cryphia): Kirby.. ACRONICTINAE. 1, Cryphia raptricula; 2, Cryphia algae (Tree-lichen Beauty); 3, Cryphia muralis (Marbled Green); 4; Cryphia domestica (= perla: Marbled Beauty); 5, Moma alpium (Scarce Merveille du Jour).
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’.
