Stilbia anomala

Stilbia anomala
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Stilbia
Species: S. anomala
Binomial name
Stilbia anomala
(Haworth, 1812)
Synonyms
  • Phytometra anomala Haworth, 1812
  • Stilbia anomalata

Stilbia anomala, the false footman or anomalous, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in parts of western Europe.

Technical description and variation

For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

The wingspan is 29–36 mm. Forewing grey, shining; the costa suffused with dark fuscous; inner and outer lines double, blackish,filled in with whitish, irregularly dentate; subterminal pale with suffusedly darker edges; orbicular and reniform stigmata with pale annuli externally dark margined, separated by a diffuse dark shade, the former oblique and narrow; hindwing wdiite tinged with brown along termen; in the female the forewing is more uniformly blackish fuscous; — the form philopalis Grasl.[now species Stilbia philopalis (Graslin, 1852)], from S. E. France, is smaller, paler, with the markings showing up more prominently; - andalusica Stgr. [now species Stilbia andalusiaca Staudinger, [1892]], a Spanish form, is also smaller than the typical, but with less distinct lines and markings; — in syriaca Stgr., [now species Stilbia syriaca Staudinger, 1892] from Asia Minor, the wings are broader, the hindwing as well being much darker; calberlae Failla-Ted.[now species Stilbia calberlae (Failla-Tedaldi, 1890)] , from Sicily, is certainly a good aberration: the males are blacker in forewing than the darkest female of the typical form, with the hindwing brightly white. [1]

Biology

Adults are on wing from August to September.

Larva green to pale brown; dorsal and subdorsal lines yellowish white, with dark margins;spiracular whitish, with the upper edge grey. The larvae feed on various grasses, including Deschampsia flexuosa.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 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
  2. ↑ "Robinson, G. S., P. R. Ackery, I. J. Kitching, G. W. Beccaloni & L. M. Hernández, 2010. HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London.".
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