Dichonia aprilina
Griposia aprilina, the merveille du jour, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It ranges from Sardinia and south-east Russia (foothills of the Ural mountains to the Black Sea) from the southernmost part of Norway and Saint Petersburg through northern and central Europe to southern France and northern Italy, as well as in Castile. Also in western and central Anatolia and the Caucasus. Also in Asia minor. There is recent evidence from the Alborz mountain range.[1][2][3][4]
Merveille du jour | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Family: | |
Genus: | |
Species: | G. aprilina |
Binomial name | |
Griposia aprilina (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
Synonyms | |
Phalaena (Noctua) aprilina Linnaeus, 1758 |
Technical description and variation
Forewing whitish green; lines and markings velvety black, the median shade especially thick; upper stigmata large; all the black markings emphasised by white; hindwing blackish grey; the cellspot, outer line, and submarginal shade darker; a white terminal space before the black marginal line; the ab. bouveti Lucas, from France, has the head, thorax, and forewings greener, the median area of forewing without black markings.[5]
Biology
The moth flies in September and October.
Larva greenish black, with a fulvous tinge; a dorsal series of dark medallions; dorsal line pale, interrupted, with black edges; spiracular line pale like the venter. The larvae feed internally on the flowers and leaves of oak trees.[6]
References
- Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela & Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. In: Michael Fibiger & Martin Honey (Hrsg.): Noctuidae Europaeae. Band 5, Entomological Press, Sorø 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9., S. 164f
- Markku Savela. "Dichonia aprilina". funet.fi. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
- Bert Gustafsson (9 October 2011). "Dichonia aprilina". Naturhistoriska riksmuseet. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
- Mike Wall. "2247 Merveille-du-Jour (Griposia aprilina)". Hants Moths. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- 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
- "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".
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Griposia aprilina. |
- Merveille du Jour (Griposia aprilina) on UKmoths
- Griposia aprilina on Norfolkmoths.co.uk
- Griposia aprilina on Fauna Europaea
- Griposia aprilina on Lepiforum.de
- Griposia aprilina on Vlindernet.nl (in Dutch)