Noctuidae : Plusiinae
Gold Spot
PLUSIA festucae (Linnaeus, 1758)
Gold Spot
PLUSIA festucae (Linnaeus, 1758)
Kind permission - © Tim Norriss
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 35-40mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - less Canary Isles,Croatia,N Russia,Sicily,Slovenia & a few Mediterranean Islands : N Africa - Morocco : Siberia : Korea : Japan : E.China
UK Distribution: Quite well distributed and fairly frequent throughout British Isles,Isle of Man,Ireland and Channel Isles
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Damp places : Rivers : Canals : Fens : Marshes : Woodland Rides : Heathland : Moorland : Upland Pasture
Similar Species -
Pupa: Pupates in a strong cocoon spun up between leaves
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: P.putnami, the similar species, is extremely difficult to separate from this moth and in some cases genitalia dissection is the only option although the smallest of the median white spots is generally smaller in the similar species and also the subapial streak shorter and thicker with general colour of the forewing being orange-brown.The situation is also the case when trying to separate the larva of the two species where only small differences occur.
Flies from dusk to feed on flowers like Red Valerian.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - less Canary Isles,Croatia,N Russia,Sicily,Slovenia & a few Mediterranean Islands : N Africa - Morocco : Siberia : Korea : Japan : E.China
UK Distribution: Quite well distributed and fairly frequent throughout British Isles,Isle of Man,Ireland and Channel Isles
UK Conservation Status -
- Common = > 300 10km squares
- Least Concern
- Phalaena festucae Linnaeus, 1758
- Phalaena festucae Linnaeus, 1758
- Not Specified
Habitat: Damp places : Rivers : Canals : Fens : Marshes : Woodland Rides : Heathland : Moorland : Upland Pasture
Similar Species -
- Lempke's Gold Spot - Plusia putnami - Grote, 1873
Pupa: Pupates in a strong cocoon spun up between leaves
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: P.putnami, the similar species, is extremely difficult to separate from this moth and in some cases genitalia dissection is the only option although the smallest of the median white spots is generally smaller in the similar species and also the subapial streak shorter and thicker with general colour of the forewing being orange-brown.The situation is also the case when trying to separate the larva of the two species where only small differences occur.
Flies from dusk to feed on flowers like Red Valerian.
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.
Note :- In captivity this moth has been bred on Nettle and Grey Willow
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.
Note :- In captivity this moth has been bred on Nettle and Grey Willow
- Alismataceae - Water Plantain Family
- Alisma plantago-aquatica - Water Plantain
- Cyperaceae - Sedge Family
- Carex elata - Tufted Sedge
- Carex flacca - Blue Sedge,Glaucous Sedge
- Carex lasiocarpa - Slender Sedge
- Iridaceae - Iris Family
- Iris pseudacorus - Yellow Flag
- Poaceae - Gramineae - True Grasses Family
- Deschampsia cespitosa - Tufted hair-grass - Tussock grass
- Oryza sativa - Asian Rice
- Phalaris arundinacea - Reed canary grass
- Phragmites australis - Common Reed
- Sparganiaceae - Bur-weed Family
- Sparganium erectum - Branched Bur-weed
- Sparganium erectum - Branched Bur-weed
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species-PLUSIA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Subspecies: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Noctuoidea Noctuidae Plusiinae Plusiini PLUSIA Ochsenheimer 1816 Plusia festucae (Linnaeus, 1758) - Phalaena festucae Linnaeus, 1758 - PHALAENA festucae Linnaeus, 1758 = Phytometra festucae splendida Rangnow, 1935 - Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.513 - n.94 - Not Specified - P. f. japonibia (Bryk, 1949) - Japan P. f. kamtshadala (Bryk, 1949) - Kamchatka P. f. kurilensis (Bryk, 1949) P. f. maroccana (Rungs, 1937) - Morocco |