Noctuidae : Xyleninae
Butterbur
HYDRAECIA petasitis Doubleday, 1847
Butterbur
HYDRAECIA petasitis Doubleday, 1847
Kind permission - © Tim Norriss
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 40-52mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - ( Excluding - Azores,Balearic Is.,Canary Is.,Channel is.,Corsica,Crete,Cyprus,Greece,Ireland,Madeira,Malta,
Norway,Portugal,Russia,Sardinia,Sicily and Spain)
UK Distribution: Mostly recorded north of the Humber in northern England and Scottish borders,but also in central southern England,east Midlands and East Anglia.Very old records for south Wales.
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Damp grasses : River-banks : Roadsides : Ditches : Marshes
Similar Species -
Pupa: Pupates just below soil without cocoon
Overwinters as: Ovum
Observations: Although similar to the Rosy Rustic this moth is brown, lacking the pink hue of the similar species which is also only half the size of this moth and has a straighter postmedian line.
The Marsh Mallow is the same size as this moth but is light ochreous brown and the reniform stigmata has a black dorsal spot.
The moth tends to fly over the host plant just after dark and is attracted to the light trap that is placed near the Butterbur plants.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - ( Excluding - Azores,Balearic Is.,Canary Is.,Channel is.,Corsica,Crete,Cyprus,Greece,Ireland,Madeira,Malta,
Norway,Portugal,Russia,Sardinia,Sicily and Spain)
UK Distribution: Mostly recorded north of the Humber in northern England and Scottish borders,but also in central southern England,east Midlands and East Anglia.Very old records for south Wales.
UK Conservation Status -
- Local = 101 - 300 10km squares
- Least Concern
- Hydraecia petasitis Doubleday, 1847
- Phalaena micacea (Esper, 1789)
- Great Britain
Habitat: Damp grasses : River-banks : Roadsides : Ditches : Marshes
Similar Species -
- Rosy Rustic - Hydraecia micacea - (Esper, 1789)
- Marsh Mallow Moth or Giant Ear - Hydraecia osseola - Staudinger, 1882
Pupa: Pupates just below soil without cocoon
Overwinters as: Ovum
Observations: Although similar to the Rosy Rustic this moth is brown, lacking the pink hue of the similar species which is also only half the size of this moth and has a straighter postmedian line.
The Marsh Mallow is the same size as this moth but is light ochreous brown and the reniform stigmata has a black dorsal spot.
The moth tends to fly over the host plant just after dark and is attracted to the light trap that is placed near the Butterbur plants.
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.
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.
- Asteraceae - Compositae - Aster-Daisy - Sunflower Family
- Petasites hybridus - Butterbur
- Petasites hybridus - Butterbur
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - HYDRAECIA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Subspecies: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Noctuoidea Noctuidae Xyleninae Apameini HYDRAECIA Guenée 1841 Hydraecia petasitis Doubleday, 1847 - Phalaena micacea (Esper, 1789) - HYDRAECIA petasitis Doubleday, 1847 = Gortyna vindelica Freyer, 1848 = Hydroecia micacea viola Bryk, 1949 = Hydraecia micacea - The Zoologist - a monthly journal of Natural History - v 5 (1856) - : Title Page : p.1914 - sp.1 - HYDRAECIA PETASITIS - Great Britain - H. p. amurensis Staudinger, 1892 - S.Siberia,Amur,Japan |