Noctuidae : Hadeninae
Clouded Drab
ORTHOSIA (Orthosia) incerta (Hufnagel, 1766)
Clouded Drab
ORTHOSIA (Orthosia) incerta (Hufnagel, 1766)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 35-40mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : Japan
UK Distribution: Common throughout most of Great Britain : Channel Isles - Local & occasional
UK Conservation Status -
Type Species - Orthosia
Habitat: Woodland : Gardens : Wherever Oak trees grow
Similar Species:-
Pupa: Overwinters underground in a cocoon
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: Although the moth is extremely variable there are three marks on the forewing which make identification of the Clouded Drab quite easy.In the moth photos below the the first maroon mark can be seen along the costa adjacent to the stigmata, with a second along the subterminal line and the final mark also along this line close to the dorsum.The markings are less obvious with darker coloured specimens and virtually missing in lighter coloured moths.As can be seen below, the southern moths tend to have a background that is dark or reddish brown whilst more northerly specimens tend to be lighter.
The moth is usually found in woodland habitats or wherever Oak is to be found although the larvae are not totally selective having a wide range of broadleaved trees to choose from.
It is univoltine,having a single generation from mid February to late May or early June and is a regular to the moth or sugar trap.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : Japan
UK Distribution: Common throughout most of Great Britain : Channel Isles - Local & occasional
UK Conservation Status -
- Common = >300 10Km Squares
- Least Concern
Type Species - Orthosia
- Noctua instabilis ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
- Germany - Berlin Region
Habitat: Woodland : Gardens : Wherever Oak trees grow
Similar Species:-
- Northern Drab Cororthosia opima (Hübner, [1809])
- Lead-coloured Drab Orthosia populeti (Fabricius, 1781)
Pupa: Overwinters underground in a cocoon
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: Although the moth is extremely variable there are three marks on the forewing which make identification of the Clouded Drab quite easy.In the moth photos below the the first maroon mark can be seen along the costa adjacent to the stigmata, with a second along the subterminal line and the final mark also along this line close to the dorsum.The markings are less obvious with darker coloured specimens and virtually missing in lighter coloured moths.As can be seen below, the southern moths tend to have a background that is dark or reddish brown whilst more northerly specimens tend to be lighter.
The moth is usually found in woodland habitats or wherever Oak is to be found although the larvae are not totally selective having a wide range of broadleaved trees to choose from.
It is univoltine,having a single generation from mid February to late May or early June and is a regular to the moth or sugar trap.
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.
- Betulaceae - The Birch Family
- Betula pendula - Silver Birch
- Betula pubescens - Downy Birch
- Corylus avellana - Hazel
- Ericaceae - Heather Family
- Vaccinium myrtilus - Bilberry - Blue Whortleberry
- Vaccinium uliginosum - Bog Bilberry - Northern Bilberry
- Fabaceae - Leguminosea - The Pulse - Bean - Pea - Legume Family
- Trifolium pratense - Red Clover (British Isles)
- Fagaceae - Oak - Chestnut - Beech Family
- Quercus robur - Pedunculate Oak - Common Oak
- Cannabidaceae - Hemp/Hop Family
- Humulus lupulus - Hop
- Rosaceae - Rose Family
- Crataegus monogyna - Hawthorn
- Malus pumila - Paradise Apple
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Ericaceae - Heathers / Rhododendron
- Rosaceae - Filipendula - Meadowsweeet / Prunus - Plums / Pyrus - Pear / Rosa - Rose / Rubus - Raspberry etc
- Salicaceae - Populus - Poplars / Salix - Willow
- Ulmaceae - Ulmus - Elm
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Subgenus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - ORTHOSIA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Subspecies: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Noctuoidea Noctuidae Hadeninae Orthosiini ORTHOSIA Ochsenheimer, 1816 orthosia Ochsenheimer, 1816 Orthosia (Orthosia) incerta (Hufnagel, 1766) - Noctua instabilis ([Denis Schiffermüller], 1775) - PHALAENA incerta (Hufnagel, 1766) = Noctua instabilis [Schiffermüller], 1775 = Phalaena (Noctua) collinita Esper, 1790 = Phalaena (Noctua) contracta Esper, 1790 = Phalaena (Noctua) trigutta Esper, 1790 = Bombyx angustus Haworth, 1803 = Bombyx fuscatus Haworth, 1803 = Bombyx nebulosus Haworth, 1803 = Bombyx subsetaceous Haworth, 1803 = Phalaena instabilis - Berlin. Magazin. 3 (3): Title Page : p. 298 - n.47 - Berlin Region - O.i.incognita Sugi, 1955 - Japan |