| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Noctuidae |
Cirrhia Hübner, Citria Hübner, Mellinia Hübner, Tiliacea Tutt
Adults. Head rough. Eyes glabrous; ciliated. Antennae of males ciliate.
Wingspan 28–40 mm. Thorax generally coloured like the forewings, the abdomen more like the hindwings. Forewings orange-brown, pale lemon yellow or orange-yellow, often with purple markings; plain, or patterned transversely, or complexly patterned; the patterning well marked to obscure (with a single dark spot representing the lower part of the reniform, or very faintly marked save for four dark transverse lines, or complexly patterned with purplish lines, dots, bands and fasciae); reniform defined, or undefined; orbicular defined, or undefined; claviform undefined. Hindwings white to whitish, or ochreous, or yellowish; plain; without a clear discal mark; transversely lined, or without transverse lines; exhibiting vein 5. Vein 5 of the hindwings weak; arising nearer to vein 6 than to vein 4. Posterior tibiae without spines. Abdomen not crested.
Living adults found August to October.
Larvae, pupae. Larvae posteriorly rounded; feeding on foliage or inflorescences of diverse deciduous trees and shrubs - especially Salix, Ulmus, Tilia, Fagus, Acer (but curiously, no mention of oak!); pupating on vegetative parts of the foodplant, or on the surface of the ground, or in the soil.
British representation. 6 species; South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland; aurago (Barred Sallow), citrago (Orange Sallow), gilvago Dusky-lemon Sallow), icteritia (The Sallow), ocellaris (Pale-lemon Sallow), togata (Pink-barred Sallow).
Acronictinae.
Illustrations. • 5 British species (Sallows), and 3 related genera: Newman. 1, Atethmia centrago (Centre-barred Sallow); 2, Agrochola circellaris (The Brick); 3, Agrochola lota (Red-line Quaker); 4, Agrochola macilenta (Yellow-line Quaker); 5, Agrochola helvola (Flounced Chestnut); 6, Agrochola litura (Brown-spot Pinion); 7(a) and (b), Agrochola lychnidis (Beaded Chestnut); 8, Xanthia citrago (Orange Sallow); 9(a) and (b), Xanthia icteritia (The Sallow); 10, Xanthia togata (Pink-barred Sallow); 11, Xanthia aurago (Barred Sallow); 12, Xanthia gilvago (Dusky-lemon Sallow); 13, Brachionycha nubeculosa (Rannoch Sprawler); 14, Brachionycha sphinx (The Sprawler). From Newman, 1869. • Cuculliinae: Kirby. CUCULLIINAE. 1, Xanthia gilvago (Dusky Lemon Sallow); 2, Jodia croceago (Orange Upper-wing); 3, “Mecoptera fragariae”, = ?; 4, Conistra erythrocephala (Red-headed Chestnut); 5, “Orrhodia silene”, = ?; 6, Conistra vacciniae (Chestnut); 7, Conistra rubiginea (Dotted Chestnut); 8, Eupsilia transversa (Satellite); 10, Lithophane socia (Pale Pinion); 11, Lithophane furcifera (The Conformist); 12, Lithophane ornitopus (Grey Shoulder-knot); 13, Xylena vetusta (Red Sword-Grass); 14, Xylena exsoleta (Sword-Grass); 15, Lithomoia solidaginis (Golden-rod Brindle); 17, Brachionycha nebulosa (Rannoch Sprawler); 18, Brachionycha sphinx (Sprawler); 19, Calophasia opalina; 20, Calophasia lunula (Flax Moth). OPHIDERINAE. 9, Scoliopteryx libatrix (Herald). From Kirby 37, with updated names.
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’.
