''Sitochroa verticalis'', common name lesser pearl, is a species of

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family

Crambidae The Crambidae are the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies includ ...

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found in most of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

, including

British Islands The British Islands is a term within the law of the United Kingdom which refers collectively to the following four polities: * the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (formerly the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) ...

. The distribution extends from west

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

, across Central and Eastern Europe,

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part o ...

to the Russian Far East and Japan. In the north the area extends to southern Sweden, in the south to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. These moths prefer open landscape with dry or slightly humid grassy areas.

Description

''Sitochroa verticalis'' can reach a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...

of about 30–34 mm. These moths have yellowish or light ocher forewings with three thin brown cross lines, while the underside of the forewings are strongly-marked with dark brown lines. The hind wings are whitish yellow and have two darker transverse lines. The caterpillars are green, with a light brown head. They can reach a body length of about . This species is rather similar to ''

Ostrinia nubilalis The European corn borer (''Ostrinia nubilalis''), also known as the European corn worm or European high-flyer, is a moth of the family Crambidae which includes other grass moths. It is a pest of grain, particularly maize (''Zea mays''). The ins ...

''.

Biology

These moths fly from May to August, with one to two generations, depending on the location. The second generation may occur in August and September. They are nocturnal and come to artificial light sources. Usually they hinbernate in a hibernaculum and pupate the following spring.Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Belgium
/ref> The larvae feed on a variety of herbaceous plants, mainly on ''

Cirsium arvense ''Cirsium arvense'' is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native throughout Europe and western Asia, northern Africa and widely introduced elsewhere.Joint Nature Conservation Committee''Cirsium arvense'' The standa ...

'', ''

Cytisus scoparius ''Cytisus scoparius'' (syn. ''Sarothamnus scoparius''), the common broom or Scotch broom, is a deciduous leguminous shrub native to western and central Europe. In Britain and Ireland, the standard name is broom; this name is also used for ot ...

'', ''

Viola odorata ''Viola odorata'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Viola'', native to Europe and Asia. This small hardy herbaceous perennial is commonly known as wood violet, sweet violet, English violet, common violet, florist's violet, or garden ...

'', ''

Centaurea jacea ''Centaurea jacea'', brown knapweed or brownray knapweed, is a species of herbaceous perennial plants in the genus ''Centaurea'' native to dry meadows and open woodland throughout Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally conside ...

'', '' Atriplex'', ''

Rumex The docks and sorrels, genus ''Rumex'', are a genus of about 200 species of annual, biennial, and perennial herbs in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae. Members of this genus are very common perennial herbs with a native almost worldwide dist ...

'', ''

Teucrium ''Teucrium'' is a cosmopolitan genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, commonly known as germanders. Plants in this genus are perennial herbs or shrubs, with branches that are more or less square in cross-section, leaves arranged in op ...

'', '' Diplotaxis'',

Nettle {{redirect, 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 ...

and

Sarothamnus ''Cytisus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to open sites (typically scrub and heathland) in Europe, western Asia and North Africa. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and is one of several genera in the trib ...

species.Markku Savel
Funet
/ref>

Gallery

File: Sitochroa.verticalis.jpg, Adult. Side view File: Sitochroa.verticalis.mounted.jpg, Mounted specimen File: Buckler W The larvæ of the British butterflies and moths PlateCLIII.jpg, Illustration. Larvae in various stages

References

*Goater, B. (1986) British Pyralid Moths, Colchester: Harley Books.

External links

kleinevlinders.nl

Lepiforum
* Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfil

* ttp://www2.nrm.se/en/svenska_fjarilar/s/sitochroa_verticalis.html Naturhistoriska risksmuseet * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q147078 Pyraustinae Moths described in 1758 Moths of Japan Moths of Europe Moths of Asia Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus