Shears

Noctuidae : Hadeninae

Shears

HADA plebeja (Linnaeus, 1761)

Life Cycle Guide

Description

Wingspan: 28-38mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - excluding ( Azores,Balearic Is.,Canary Is.,Cyprus,Madeira,Malta,Sardinia & Sicility) - across the Palearctic to Asia Minor : Armenia : Turkestan : Central Asia : Mongolia : Siberia : India-Kashmir
UK Distribution: Great Britain,Isle of Man,Ireland - common throughout : Channel Isles - widespread and often
UK Conservation Status -

Common = > 300 10km squares

European Conservation Status -

Least Concern

Original Species Name -

Phalaena (Noctua) plebeja (Linnaeus, 1761)

Type Species - Hada

Noctua dentina Schiffermüller, 1775
Type Locality -
Uplandia - Uppsala,Sweden

Flight Period: South - late April - mid July & August - Bivoltine : Elsewhere - late May - early July - Univoltine
Habitat: Heathland : Open Woodland : Sand-dunes : Downland
Similar Species -

None

Larva: The 35mm final instar larva is greyish brown with fine light dorsal and subdorsal lines which have small dark blotch towards front of abdominal segment.Head is brown
Pupa: Pupates in cocoon under moss or among leaf litter in readiness for overwintering
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: As photo 3 below clearly shows below this moth is fairly easy to identify by the "open shears or scissors" white mark which rests against the orbicular spot and is highlighted in black.This mark can vary in size and may look like veins although general pattern stays constant.
The forewing colour is also variable being recorded through whitish grey ,pale or dark brownish grey,sandy and grey.

The moth is attracted to light,sugar and flowers feeding on most of the host plants.

Photo Gallery

Shears - Hada plebeja - (Linnaeus, 1761) - Fleet -30W Skinner - 7 June 2016

"Shears" mark clearly shown

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
- Crepis capillaris - Smooth Hawksbeard
- Hieracium pilosella - Mouse-ear Hawkweed
- Taraxacum officinale - Common Dandelion
Boraginaceae - Borage - Forget-me-not Family
- Echium vulgare - Viper's Bugloss
Fabaceae - Leguminosea - The Pulse - Bean - Pea - Legume Family
- Medicago sativa - Alfalfa
Lamiaceae - Labiatae - The Mint Family
- Teucrium scorodonia - Wood Sage
Valerianaceae - Valerian Family
- Centranthus ruber - Red Valerian

Larval Food Plants

Taxonomy

Kingdom:
Subkingdom:
Phylum:
Subphylum:
Class:
Order:
Superfamily:
Family:
Subfamily:
Tribe:
Genus:
Accepted Species Name:

Type Species - HADA:

Original Species Name:
Species Names:

Literary Ref:

Type Locality:

Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuoidea
Noctuidae
Hadeninae
Hadenini
HADA Billberg 1820
Hada plebeja (Linnaeus, 1761)
-
Noctua dentina Schiffermüller, 1775
-
PHALAENA (Noctua) plebeja (Linnaeus, 1761)
= Phalaena nana Hufnagel, 1766
= Noctua dentina Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
= Noctua leucostigma Haworth, 1809
= Hadena latenai Pierret, 1837
= Hadena hilaris Zetterstedt, [1839]
= Polia obvia Eversmann, 1856
= Mamestra dentina reducta Rebel & Zerny, 1931
= Hada nana
= Hadena obvia
-
Fauna Suecica (Edn 2 enlarged) : Title Page : p.320 - n.1210
-
Uplandia - Uppsala,Sweden