Noctuidae : Noctuinae
Lunar Yellow Underwing
NOCTUA orbona (Hufnagel, 1766)
Lunar Yellow Underwing
NOCTUA orbona (Hufnagel, 1766)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 38 - 45mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - (excluding Balearic Isles,Canary Isles,Crete,Ireland,Madeira,Malta,Russia - north) : N Africa - Morocco, Algeria,Tunisia & Libya : Lebanon : Syria : Turkey : Iraq : Caucasus : Transcaucasia : Armenia : Turkmenistan
UK Distribution: Scattered locations in southern England and East Anglia
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Sandy Areas : Heaths : Open Woodland
Similar Species -
Pupa: Pupates in flimsy cocoon just below loose soil
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: A nationally scarce moth and a priority species under the biodiversity action plan,this moth has drastically declined over its former range and is now most frequently sought and recorded from the Breckland area of Norfolk and Suffolk plus a few scattered locations elsewhere like Porton Down.
Although similar to the Yellow Underwings above the moth can be recognised by the black mark in the vicinity of the apex. The Lesser Yellow Underwing has a broader forewing and is more frequent whilst the Large Yellow Underwing lacks a dark central crescent on the hindwing and is,by name,larger.
Both sexes are attracted to light and sugar.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - (excluding Balearic Isles,Canary Isles,Crete,Ireland,Madeira,Malta,Russia - north) : N Africa - Morocco, Algeria,Tunisia & Libya : Lebanon : Syria : Turkey : Iraq : Caucasus : Transcaucasia : Armenia : Turkmenistan
UK Distribution: Scattered locations in southern England and East Anglia
UK Conservation Status -
- NERC S.41 : 2008 (England) & NERC S.42 : 2009 (Wales) - Species "of principle importance for the purpose of conserving biodiversity
- Scottish Biodiversity List : 2005
- Nationally Scarce B (Nb - BAP : 1997) = 31 - 100 10Km Squares
- BAP : 2007 - Priority Species
- Least Concern
- Phalaena (Noctua) orbona (Hufnagel, 1766)
- Phalaena pronuba (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Germany - Berlin
Habitat: Sandy Areas : Heaths : Open Woodland
Similar Species -
- Lesser Yellow Underwing - Noctua comes Hübner, [1813]
- Large Yellow Underwing - Noctua pronuba (Linnaeus, 1758)
Pupa: Pupates in flimsy cocoon just below loose soil
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: A nationally scarce moth and a priority species under the biodiversity action plan,this moth has drastically declined over its former range and is now most frequently sought and recorded from the Breckland area of Norfolk and Suffolk plus a few scattered locations elsewhere like Porton Down.
Although similar to the Yellow Underwings above the moth can be recognised by the black mark in the vicinity of the apex. The Lesser Yellow Underwing has a broader forewing and is more frequent whilst the Large Yellow Underwing lacks a dark central crescent on the hindwing and is,by name,larger.
Both sexes are attracted to light and sugar.
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.
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.
- Caryophyllaceae - Pink and Carnation Family
- Stellaria media - Chickweed
- Ericaceae - Heather Family
- Calluna vulgaris - Common Heather - Ling
- Poaceae - Gramineae - True Grasses Family
- Corynephorus canescens - Grey Hair-grass
- Dactylis glomerata - Cock's-foot - Orchard grass
- Deschampsia flexuosa - Wavy Hair-grass
- Elymus caninus - Bearded Couch
- Elymus repens - Couch grass
- Festuca ovina - Sheep's Fescue
- Phalaris arundinacea - Reed Canary Grass
- Primulaceae - Primrose Family
- Primula veris - Cowslip
- Ranunculaceae - Buttercup - Crowfoot Family
- Ranunculus acris - Meadow Buttercup
- Ranunculus repens - Creeping Buttercup
- Rosaceae - Rose Family
- Potentilla reptans - Creeping Cinquefoil - Creeping Tormentil
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - NOCTUA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Noctuoidea Noctuidae Noctuinae Noctuini NOCTUA Linnaeus, 1758 Noctua orbona (Hufnagel, 1766) - Phalaena pronuba (Linnaeus, 1758) - PHALAENA (Noctua) orbona (Hufnagel, 1766) = Noctua connuba Hübner, [1822] = Triphaena innuba Treitschke, 1825 = Noctua subsequa Hübner, [1803] - Berlin. Magazin. 3 (3): Title Page : p. 304 - n.57 - Germany - Berlin |