73.003 : 2432 : 9081
Noctuidae : Plusiinae

Ni Moth

TRICHOPLUSIA ni (Hübner,[1803])
Picture
Kind permission - © Tim Norriss
Life Cycle Guide
Picture
Description
Wingspan: 30 40mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - less Africa : S.Palearctic - Oriental Region : S.Canada : USA : Antilles : Mexico : Central America : Brazil : Paraguay : N.Argentina.
UK Distribution: Immigrant normally seen in southern England but recorded as far north as Cumbria
UK Conservation Status -
  • Migrant
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Noctua ni (Hübner,[1803])
Type Species - Trichoplusia
  • Plusia brassicae Riley, 1870
Type Locality -
  • Europe
Flight Period: Appears in most months,see above
Habitat: Coastal Habitat
Similar Species -
  • Silver Y - Autographa gamma - (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Scarce Silver Y - Syngrapha interrogationis - (Linnaeus, 1758)
Larva: The 38mm final instar larva is bluish green with white subdorsal lines edged with a pair of thinner white lines. The spiracular line is thin and white edged with darker green. Setae are random,black, and fairly short.Head in brownish green.
Overwinters as: Adult
Observations: This moth is an immigrant from southern Europe appearing along the southern coast of England in most years something that may soon be consistent due to global warming.Some years they appear in reasonable numbers,breeding in these years.
Although similar to the Silver Y , it is easy to separate the two moths as the 'Y' marking with this moth is broken on the tail of the letter as can be seen below as opposed to a full letter with the similar species.
This moth also has ornately marked forewings which are light brown.

The moth is attracted to light and sometimes flowers.
Photo Gallery
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website where further information like photos,physical characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
Larval Food Plants
Taxonomy
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Type Species - TRICHOPLUSIA:

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Literary Ref:



Type Locality:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuoidea
Noctuidae
Plusiinae
Argyrogrammatini
TRICHOPLUSIA McDunnough 1944
Trichoplusia ni (Hübner,[1803])
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Plusia brassicae Riley, 1870
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NOCTUA ni (Hübner,[1803])
= Plusia humilis Walker, [1858]
= Plusia extrahens Walker, [1858]
= Plusia significans Walker, [1858]
= Plusia innata Herrich-Schäffer, 1868
= Plusia brassicae Riley, 1870
= Plusia echinocystidis Strecker, 1874
= Plusia ni deserticola Oberthür, 1913
= Phytometra ni deserticola
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Sammlung europäischer Schmetterlinge / errichtet von Jacob Hübner in Augsburg. By Hübner, Jacob, 1761-1826  : Lepidoptera 1V : Noctuae 111 : pl. 58 -  f. 284
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Europe