73.334 : 2123 : 10,093
Noctuidae : Noctuinae

Small Square-spot

DIARSIA rubi (Vieweg, 1790)
Picture
Life Cycle Guide
Picture
Description
Wingspan: 30-38mm
Worldwide Distribution: Northern Europe & Central Europe :  Caucasus : Transcaucasia : C.Asia : Siberia - Kamchatka
UK Distribution: Well distributed throughout Britain,Isle of Man,Ireland and the Channel Isles
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 - Priority Species : 2010
  • BAP : 2007 - Priority Species
European Conservation Status -
  • Common = >300 10Km Squares
Original Species Name -
  • Noctua rubi (Vieweg,1790)
Type Species - Diarsia
  • Noctua dahlii Hübner,1813
Type Locality -
  • Germany - Branderburg region
Flight Period: England,Wales,Ireland - Bivoltine - May to early June & August -September : Scotland - univoltine - June-July
Habitat: Gardens : Damp Woodland : Damp pasture : Marshy places
Similar Species -
  • Fen Square-spot - Diarsia florida - (Schmidt, 1859)
Larva: South - June to late July & September - April : North - August - May.The 30mm final instar larva is coloured in shades of brown darker dorsally and light below spiracles. There is a thin light dorsal line edged in dark brown,a light spiracular line with black spiracles.The head is brownish.
Pupa: Pupates just below soil
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: This moth can be identified by its pinkish brown forewings with darker brown subterminal and postmedian bands. There is also a small black dot situated between the orbicular spot and the dorsum . The reniform stigmata is usually a lighter yellowish colour whereas the orbicular spot tends to be just lighter than the forewing colour with the area between these marks darker brown giving the appearance of three separate marks.
Second generation moths tend to be darker and smaller and the northern populations tend to be paler.

The moth is attracted to light and feeds at sugar and flowers like Ragwort.

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.
Larval Food Plants
Taxonomy
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Type Species - DIARSIA:

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Type Location:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuoidea
Noctuidae
Noctuinae
Noctuini
DIARSIA Hübner,[1821]
Diarsia rubi (Vieweg,1790)
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Noctua dahlii Hübner,1813
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NOCTUA rubi (Vieweg,1790)
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Vieweg, 1790 Tabellarisches Verizeichniss der in der Churmark Brandenburg Einheimischen Schmettline 2: Title Page : p.57 - n.85 : pl.3 - f.5
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Germany - Branderburg region