Diloba caeruleocephala
Diloba caeruleocephala, the figure of eight, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the Palearctic.
| Diloba caeruleocephala | |
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| Species: | D. caeruleocephala |
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| Diloba caeruleocephala | |
Distribution
Diloba caeruleocephala is found in most of Europe except northern Scandinavia, the northern part of the British Isles and the North of Russia.
In the South, it occurs in North Africa, the Middle East (Lebanon, Israel, Jordan), Asia Minor, Iran and Kazakhstan. It is largely missing in Portugal.
Description
The wingspan is 30–40 mm. The length of the forewings is 15–19 mm. The heavily combed antennae of the male and the thick, woolly-hairy body of the female is atypical for Noctuidae. The forewings are grey or grey-brown with a purple sheen. The reniform and orbicular stigmata are both in the shape of a figure 8 enclosed in yellowish white. The post median and subterminal lines are black. There is a black tornal streak. The hindwing is an ochreous white. The cilia are greyish brown with a wedge-shaped black tornal mark.
The moth flies in one generation from late August to mid-November in Belgium and The Netherlands; and late September to mid-November in the UK.[1]
The larvae feed on various deciduous trees and shrubs, mainly Sorbus, Prunus spinosa and Crataegus. .[2]
References
- Waring, Paul, Martin Townsend and Richard Lewington (2003) Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing, Hook, UK. ISBN 0-9531399-1-3.
- "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".
- Halil Bolu & İnanç Özgen:, 2007 Life History and Biology of Diloba caeruleocephala (Figure of Eight) (Lepidoptera; Noctuidae). Belgian Journal of Zoology, 137(2): 133-136, Gent 2007 ISSN 0777-6276 pdf
