''Agrochola haematidea'', the southern chestnut, 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 ...

. The species was first described by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1827. It is found in the southern parts of Europe (including the southernmost parts of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

Technical description and variation

''A. haematidea'' Dup. (37 d). Forewing smooth, deep chestnut brown, darker along inner margin, paler in terminal area; cell and median shade deeper chestnut; lines indistinct, the outer double; submarginal line preceded by a row of small black marks and on costa by a blackish blotch; stigmata small, undefined, pale; the orbicular oblique nearly touching reniform at bottom; hindwing fuscous, the fringe pinkish. The forewing has the apex acute and termen oblique. Warren. W. in Seitz, A. Ed., 1914 ''Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde'', Verlag Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart Band 3: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen eulenartigen Nachtfalter, 1914 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 32–38 mm.

Biology

The moth flies from October to November depending on the location. The larvae feed on ''

Erica cinerea ''Erica cinerea'', the bell heather, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae, native to western and central Europe. Description It is a low, spreading shrub growing to tall, with fine needle-like leaves long arranged in ...

'' and '' Erica tetralix''.

Notes

In England it was first discovered by Professor Colin Smith of Cambridge University.

References

External links

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''Fauna Europaea''"09572 ''Agrochola haematidea'' (Duponchel, [1828])"
''Lepiforum e. V.'' Retrieved 21 January 2021. 828])"">"09572 ''Agrochola haematidea'' (Duponchel, [1828])"
''Lepiforum e. V.'' Retrieved 21 January 2021. Agrochola Moths of Europe">Agrochola">828])"">"09572 ''Agrochola haematidea'' (Duponchel, [1828])"
''Lepiforum e. V.'' Retrieved 21 January 2021. Agrochola Moths of Europe Moths described in 1827 Taxa named by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel {{Xyleninae-stub