Noctuide : Hadeninae
Powdered Quaker
ORTHOSIA (Cororthosia) gracilis ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
Powdered Quaker
ORTHOSIA (Cororthosia) gracilis ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 35 - 42mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - not Greece and some Mediterranean Islands - East across the Palearctic to Northern Asia and Central Asia
UK Distribution: England,Wales,Isle of Man,Ireland - Common and widespread : Scotland - local : Channel Islands - rare
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: (Damp Woodland : Gardens : Bogs - Southern England) : Bog Myrtle feeders - Marshes & Bogs Only
Similar Species -
Pupa: Pupates in a cocoon under the soil for overwintering
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: The moth ground colour varies from whitish through the browns and pinkish mauve to black with freckling which gives it its powdered look, separating this moth from other spring species.Thie colour variations tend to be geographical. The stigmata and orbicular spot are clearly defined in black and the postmedial line is made up of a series of black dots. The subterminal line is black edged in whitish and the terminal line is black.
The wing appears quite long and has a straight costa and sharp apex.
The moth is attracted to light and to sugar and feeds on Sallow Catkins.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - not Greece and some Mediterranean Islands - East across the Palearctic to Northern Asia and Central Asia
UK Distribution: England,Wales,Isle of Man,Ireland - Common and widespread : Scotland - local : Channel Islands - rare
UK Conservation Status -
- Common = > 300 10Km squares
- Least Concern
- Phalaena (Nocua) gracilis (Denis & Schiffermüller), 1775)
- Noctua instabilis (Denis & Schiffermüller,[1775])
- Austria - near vienna
Habitat: (Damp Woodland : Gardens : Bogs - Southern England) : Bog Myrtle feeders - Marshes & Bogs Only
Similar Species -
- Common Quaker - Orthosia cerasi (Fabricius, 1775)
- Clouded Drab - Orthosia incerta (Hufnagel, 1766)
Pupa: Pupates in a cocoon under the soil for overwintering
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: The moth ground colour varies from whitish through the browns and pinkish mauve to black with freckling which gives it its powdered look, separating this moth from other spring species.Thie colour variations tend to be geographical. The stigmata and orbicular spot are clearly defined in black and the postmedial line is made up of a series of black dots. The subterminal line is black edged in whitish and the terminal line is black.
The wing appears quite long and has a straight costa and sharp apex.
The moth is attracted to light and to sugar and feeds on Sallow Catkins.
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
- Artemesia absinthium - Wormwood
- Artemesia vulgaris - Mugwort
- Cirsium arvense - Creeping Thistle - Canada Thistle
- Pulicaria dysenterica - Common Fleabane
- Tanacetum vulgare - Tansy
- Taraxacum officinale - Common Dandelion
- Betulaceae - The Birch Family
- Betula pendula - Silver Birch
- Brassicaceae - Mustards - Mustard Flowers - Cabbage Family
- Eruca sativa - Rocket
- Fabaceae - Leguminosea - The Pulse - Bean - Pea - Legume Family
- Trifolium pratense - Red Clover
- Grossulariaceae - Currant Family
- Ribes nigrum - Blackcurrant
- Ribes rubrum - Redcurrant
- Hypericaceae - St John's Wort Family
- Hypericum hirsutum - Hairy St John's Wort
- Hypericum perforatum - St John's Wort
- Lythraceae - Loosestrife Family
- Lythrum salicaria - Purple Loosestrife
- Myricaceae - Wax-myrtle Family
- Myrica gale - Bog Myrtle
- Primulaceae - Primrose Family
- Lysimachia punctata - Spotted Loosestrife
- Lysimachia vulgaris - Yellow Loosestrife
- Ranunculaceae - Buttercup - Crowfoot Family
- Thalictrum aquilegifolium - No Common Name
- Thalictrum flavum - Yellow Meadow Rue
- Rosaceae - The Rose Family
- Filipendula ulmaria - Meadowsweet
- Malus pumila - Paradise Apple
- Prunus cerasus - Sour Cherry
- Prunus padus - Bird Cherry - Hackberry
- Prunus spinosa - Blackthorn - Sloe(Britain)
- Rubus fruticosus - Bramble - Blackberry
- Rubus idaeus - Raspberry - Framboise
- Salicaceae - Willow Family
- Populus nigra - Black Poplar - Lombardy Poplar
- Populus tremula - Aspen Poplar
- Salix caprea - Goat Willow
- Salix purpurea - Purple Osier
- Salix repens - Creeping Willow
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Rosaceae - Cotoneaster, Fragaria - Strawberry
- 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 Names: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Subspecies: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Noctuoidea Noctuidae Hadeninae Orthosiini ORTHOSIA Ochsenheimer 1816 Cororthosia Berio, 1980 Orthosia (Coorthosia) gracilis (Denis & Schiffermüller), 1775) - Noctua instabilis (Denis & Schiffermüller,[1775]) - PHALAENA (Nocua) gracilis (Denis & Schiffermüller), 1775) = Phalaena (Noctua) lepida Brahm, 1791 = Bombyx sparsus Haworth, 1803 - Ankündung eines systematischen Werkes von den Schmetterlingen der Wienergegend: Title Page : p.76 - n 4 - Austria - near Vienna - O. g. pallidior (Staudinger, 1888) - China - Xingjiang |