73.012 : 2434 : 9045
Noctuidea : Plusiinae

Burnished Brass

DIACHRYSIA chrysitis ( Linnaeus,1758)
Picture
Life Cycle Guide
Picture
Description
Wingspan: 35 - 43mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe (less some Mediterranean Islands) : Caucasus : Siberia : Ussuri
UK Distribution: Well distributed and fairly frequent throughout Britain including Scilly Isles,Isle of Man,Hebrides and Orkney's, Ireland and the Channel Isles.
UK Conservation Status -
  • Common = > 300 10Km squares
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Phalaena (Noctua) chrysitis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Type Species - Diachrysia
  • Diachrysia orichaicea Fabricius, sensu Hübner, [1821]
Type Locality -
  • Italy - Central (Female of species chryson,misidentified type species)
Flight Period: South - May to July with second generation July to early October : Elsewhere - June to July
Habitat: Gardens : Hedgerows : River Banks : Woodland Edge : Rough Grassland
Similar Species -
  • Slender Burnished Brass - Thysanoplusia orichalcea (Fabricius, 1775)
  • Scarce Burnished Brass - Diachrysia chryson (Esper, 1798)
Larva: The final instar is green with a with a yellowish white spiracular line edged above with dark green. Viewed from above there is a green dorsal live with chevrons at each abdominal segment. There is a wavy subdorsal line which is straight at the thoracic segments.Prolegs on 6 & 7th segment are missing.
Pupa: Pupates in a cocoon on the underside of a leaf of the food plant
Overwinters as: Small Larva
Observations: This moth is unmistakeable with its hook like shaped forewing with brassy yellow or brassy green markings which give the moth its vernacular name.There are two distinct forms for this moth, the most common being f. juncta Tutt, 1892, which is identified by the broken brown median marking which allows the two "brassy" sections to merge. The less common form is f.aurea Huene,1901 where the two brown median patches join, leaving two separate brassy forewing areas.

The second generation moths that appear in August/September/October/November are generally smaller than the first generation specimens.

The moth flies from dusk when it can be found feeding on plants like Red Valerian and Honeysuckle and is attracted to light.
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
Kingdom:
Subkingdom:
Phylum:
Subphylum:
Class:
Order:
Superfamily:
Family:
Subfamily:
Tribe:
Genus:
Accepted Species Name:

Type Species - DIACHRYSIA

Original Species Name:
Species Names:


Literary Ref:

Type Locality:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuoidea
Noctuidae
Plusiinae
Plusiini
DIACHRYSIA Hübner, [1821]
Diachrysia chrysitis (Linnaeus, 1758)
-
Diachrysia orichaicea Fabricius, sensu Hübner, [1821]
-
PHALAENA (Noctua) chrysitis (Linnaeus, 1758)
= Plusia chrysitis
= disjunctaurea Spuler, 1907
-
Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.513 - n.90
-
Italy - Central (Female of species chryson,misidentified type species)