The mouse moth (''Amphipyra tragopoginis'') is a
moth
Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...
of the family
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family (biology), family of moths. Taxonomically, they are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly ...
. It is a widespread species with a
Holarctic distribution.
Distribution
Europe (except the extreme north, and not occurring in the south of Spain, Sicily, or the Balkans); also in
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
,
Asia Minor,
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
,
Western Siberia,
Kashmir (extending thence into
Punjab). Recently introduced in Canada and North America.
This is a rather drab but distinctive species. The forewings are uniform dark brown with three blackish spots arranged in a triangle. The hindwings are buffish, darker towards the margins. The
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...
is 32–40 mm. The common name derives from the species' habit of scuttling away on foot when disturbed rather than flying. Despite this, it can fly strongly and is attracted to light, sugar and
nectar-rich
flowers. In the
British Isles
The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...
, the adult is active from July to September.
Description
Forewing dull brown, dusted with paler scales, varying from pale to blackish brown; submarginal line only visible, indicated by a paler tinge preceded by a darker shade; orbicular stigma a blackish dot; reniform represented by two, one above the other, at end of cell; hindwing rufous fuscous, paler towards base; — ''turcomana'' Stgr. is pale ashy grey, with no trace of submarginal line, and the stigmata very faint and more or less obsolete; the hindwing also much paler, dull whitish, becoming grey towards termen; (this central Asiatic form is probably a good species: the forewing has the apex more decidedly prominent
'A. t.'' subspecies ''turcomana'' Staudinger, 1888">subspecies.html" ;"title="'A. t.'' subspecies">'A. t.'' subspecies ''turcomana'' Staudinger, 1888; — the blacker forms are separated as ab. ''nigrescens'' Spul.
The larva is green dorsal and subdorsal lines yellowish or white lines and feeds on a wide variety of plants. The species overwinters as an egg (biology), egg.
Ecology
Recorded food plants of the mouse moth include
monkshood,
chervil,
dogbane,
columbine,
wormwood,
bellflower,
eastern redbud,
hawthorn,
fireweed,
fennel,
strawberry
The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...
,
bedstraw,
geranium,
Scots lovage,
toadflax,
cow-wheat,
monkeyflower,
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
,
parsley,
plantain,
poplar, ''
Prunus'',
oak,
redcurrant,
rose,
cloudberry,
sorrel,
willow,
salad burnet,
nettle
Nettle refers to plants with stinging hairs, particularly those of the genus '' Urtica''. It can also refer to plants which resemble ''Urtica'' species in appearance but do not have stinging hairs. Plants called "nettle" include:
* ball nettle ...
,
indica, and
grape.
[Robinson, G. S., et al. 2010]
HOSTS – A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants.
Natural History Museum, London.
References
* Chinery, M. ''Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe''. 1986. Reprinted 1991.
* Skinner, B. ''Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles''. 1984
External links
Mouse Moth on UKmoths
Taxonomy.
Fauna EuropaeaLepiforum.de
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1258034
Amphipyrinae
Moths described in 1759
Moths of Asia
Moths of North America
Moths of Europe
Moths of the Middle East
Taxa named by Carl Alexander Clerck