Cosmia pyralina

The lunar-spotted pinion (Cosmia pyralina) is a moth of the family Noctuidae.

Cosmia pyralina
Dorsal view
Larva
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Noctuidae
Genus:
Cosmia
Species:
C. pyralina
Binomial name
Cosmia pyralina
Synonyms
  • Noctua pyralina Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
  • Phalaena (Noctua) corrusca Esper, 1798

Distribution

This species can be found central Europe, in the north up to central Great Britain and southern Fennoscandia, south to northern Spain and central Italy, east through Bulgaria up to the Caucasus further through the Palearctic up to Korea and Japan. [1]

Technical description and variation
For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

C. pyralina View. (47 e). Forewing dull or bright redbrown on a pinker ground; generally darkened with olive fuscous; first line blackish, oblique, not white-edged, angled outwards between and inwards on the veins; outer line preceded by a darker median shade, and edged with white, the white becoming diffused on costa and joined to the white streak before the submarginal line; stigmata very obscure, sometimes with dark centres on a paler ground; submarginal line preceded by a darker red shade; wing pale grey in the male, darker in the female; the brighter coloured forms are ab. corusea Esp. (47 e). Larva pale green with white lines; spiracular line yellowish, black edged above; head yellow green.[2] Cosmia pyralina has a wingspan reaching 28–32 mm. [3]

This moth is rather similar Cosmia affinis, but it shows paler hindwings and broader forewings.[3]

Biology

Adults are on wing from June to August[3] in one generation. The larvae feed on various deciduous trees, including Ulmus [3], Pyrus, Salix and Quercus living between united leaves, spinning a slight silken web in which to pupate.

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gollark: FFA war?
gollark: There *may* have been *minor* rogue HTech™ von Neumann probes a while ago, but it's probably fine.
gollark: Okay, so just tens of years.
gollark: Intergalactic beams would take hundreds of thousands of years to arrive.

References
  1. Fauna Europaea
  2. 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 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. Lunar-spotted Pinion on UKmoths


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