Noctuidae : Xyleninae
Ear Moth
AMPHIPOEA oculea (Linnaeus, 1761)
Ear Moth
AMPHIPOEA oculea (Linnaeus, 1761)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 29-34mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe
UK Distribution: Common throughout much of Great Britain,Ireland and Isle of Man,but in low numbers : Channel Isles-local and rare
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Gardens : Open Woodland : Marshes : Moorland : Saltmarshes : Unimproved grassland
Similar Species -
Pupa: Pupates underground in a cell
Overwinters as: Ovum
Observations: The different Ear Moths are difficult to distinguish without dissection of the genatalia and this is not always a guarantee of identification so actual distributions of these moths are not certain, although, generally speaking, the Ear Moth distribution inland is Southern Britain,the Large Ear more prominent in the North and West of Britain and the Saltern Ear more likely in coastal areas of England and some areas of Scotland.
It is not difficult to see why these moths are called Ear moths as the reniform stigmata which is yellow and ringed with ruddy brown looks just like the human ear.
The ear moth is a regular at the light trap and is also attracted to sugar and flowers,often during the day
Worldwide Distribution: Europe
UK Distribution: Common throughout much of Great Britain,Ireland and Isle of Man,but in low numbers : Channel Isles-local and rare
UK Conservation Status -
- NERC S.41 : 2008 (England) & NERC S.42 : 2009 (Wales) - Species "of principle importance for the purpose of conserving biodiversity"
- Northern Ireland : 2010 - Priority Species
- Common = >300 10Km Squares
- BAP : 2007 - Priority Species
- Least Concern
- Phalaena (Noctua) oculea Linnaeus, 1761
- Phalaena nictitans Linnaeus, 1767
- Sweden
Habitat: Gardens : Open Woodland : Marshes : Moorland : Saltmarshes : Unimproved grassland
Similar Species -
- Crinan Ear Amphipoea crinanensis Burrows, 1908
- Saltern Ear Amphipoea fucosa Tutt, 1888
- Large Ear Amphipoea Lucens Freyer, 1845
Pupa: Pupates underground in a cell
Overwinters as: Ovum
Observations: The different Ear Moths are difficult to distinguish without dissection of the genatalia and this is not always a guarantee of identification so actual distributions of these moths are not certain, although, generally speaking, the Ear Moth distribution inland is Southern Britain,the Large Ear more prominent in the North and West of Britain and the Saltern Ear more likely in coastal areas of England and some areas of Scotland.
It is not difficult to see why these moths are called Ear moths as the reniform stigmata which is yellow and ringed with ruddy brown looks just like the human ear.
The ear moth is a regular at the light trap and is also attracted to sugar and flowers,often during the day
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.
- Asteraceae - Compositae - Aster-Daisy - Sunflower Family
- Petasites hybridus - Butterbur
- Poaceae - Gramineae - True Grasses Family
- Deschampsia cespitosa - Tufted hair-grass - Tussock grass
- Poa annua - Annual Meadow Grass
- Zea mays - Sweetcorn
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - AMPHIPOEA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Noctuoidea Noctuidae Xyleninae Apameini AMPHIPOEA Billberg 1820 Amphipoea oculea (Linneaus, 1761) - Phalaena nictitans Linnaeus, 1767 - PHALAENA (Noctua) oculea (Linnaeus, 1761) = Phalaena (Noctua) nictitans Linnaeus, 1761 = Noctua chrysographa Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 = Phalaena (Noctua) splendens Borkhausen, 1792 = Noctua myopa Fabricius, 1794 = Noctua cinerago Fabricius, 1794 = Noctua auricula Donovan, 1807 = Noctua erythrostigma Haworth, 1809. - Fauna Suecica (Edn 2 enlarged). : Title Page : p.321 - n.1215 - Sweden |