Noctuidae : Noctuinae
Gregson's Dart
AGROTIS spinifera (Hübner,[1808])
Gregson's Dart
AGROTIS spinifera (Hübner,[1808])
Kind permission - © Tim Norriss
Life Cycle Guide - Africa - Adult Only
Description
Wingspan: 28 - 40mm
Worldwide Distribution: Southern Europe including (Balearic Isles, Bosnia and Herzegovina,Bulgaria,Canary Isles,Corsica,Crete,Croatia, Cyprus,European Turkey,France,Germany,Greece,Madeira,Malta,Portugal,Sardinia,Sicily,Slovenia,Spain,Balkans ) : Arabia : Africa - Algeria, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia, Zimbabwe : Madagascar : Iraq : Iran : Afghanistan : Pakistan : Kashmir : India - Burma : Sri Lanka
UK Distribution: See Observations
UK Conservation Status -
Type Species -
Type Locality -
Flight Period: Multivoltine, active throughout the year - 3/4 generations
Habitat: Forest Clearings : Oasis : Grasslands
Similar Species -
Overwinters as: Adult
Observations: Occurance of this moth in Britain is unconfirmed, being on the British list as a result of an individual taken flying with Archers Dart on the Isle of man in 1869. This moth is similar to brown forms of Archer's Dart.
A rare vagrant from southern Europe and Africa.
Forewings brown to grey with three stigmata,orbicular stigmata is elongated,claviform stigmata sharply defined and pointed in black.There is a black band connecting orbicular and reniform stigmata. Antemdian and postmedian cross lines missing although subterminal line distinct as incomplete waved line. Terminal line distinct.Hindwing white to bright cream. Male antennae weakly pectinated,female antennae filiform.
The larvae are known as "Cutworms" feeding on the roots and leaves of various members of the grasses or Poaceae family including many food plants, making it a pest that needs to be controlled. In Israel the larvae are pests on Onion,Beet,Peanuts and Sesame fields and in India a pest on Chickpea and Potato.
Moth is attracted to light.
Worldwide Distribution: Southern Europe including (Balearic Isles, Bosnia and Herzegovina,Bulgaria,Canary Isles,Corsica,Crete,Croatia, Cyprus,European Turkey,France,Germany,Greece,Madeira,Malta,Portugal,Sardinia,Sicily,Slovenia,Spain,Balkans ) : Arabia : Africa - Algeria, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, South Africa, Tunisia, Zimbabwe : Madagascar : Iraq : Iran : Afghanistan : Pakistan : Kashmir : India - Burma : Sri Lanka
UK Distribution: See Observations
UK Conservation Status -
- Vagrant/Accidental - Appendix B
- Least Concern/Possible Migrant to C & N Europe
Type Species -
Type Locality -
Flight Period: Multivoltine, active throughout the year - 3/4 generations
Habitat: Forest Clearings : Oasis : Grasslands
Similar Species -
- Archer's Dart - Agrotis vestigialis - (Hufnagel, 1766)
Overwinters as: Adult
Observations: Occurance of this moth in Britain is unconfirmed, being on the British list as a result of an individual taken flying with Archers Dart on the Isle of man in 1869. This moth is similar to brown forms of Archer's Dart.
A rare vagrant from southern Europe and Africa.
Forewings brown to grey with three stigmata,orbicular stigmata is elongated,claviform stigmata sharply defined and pointed in black.There is a black band connecting orbicular and reniform stigmata. Antemdian and postmedian cross lines missing although subterminal line distinct as incomplete waved line. Terminal line distinct.Hindwing white to bright cream. Male antennae weakly pectinated,female antennae filiform.
The larvae are known as "Cutworms" feeding on the roots and leaves of various members of the grasses or Poaceae family including many food plants, making it a pest that needs to be controlled. In Israel the larvae are pests on Onion,Beet,Peanuts and Sesame fields and in India a pest on Chickpea and Potato.
Moth is attracted to light.
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.
- Poaceae - Gramineae - True Grasses Family
- Zea mays - Sweetcorn
- Solanaceae - Bedstraw Family
- Solanum tuberosum - Potato (India)
- Solanum tuberosum - Potato (India)
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - AGROTIS: Original Species Name: Species Names: Genus Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Noctuoidea Noctuidae Noctuinae Noctuini AGROTIS Ochsenheimer, 1816 Agrotis spinifera (Hübner,[1808]) - Noctua segetum ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775) - NOCTUA spinifera (Hübner,[1808]) = Agrotis biconica Kollar 1844 - AGROTIS Ochsenheimer 1816 = Powellinia Oberthür 1912 - Sammlung europäischer Schmetterlinge / errichtet von Jacob Hübner in Augsburg. By Hübner, Jacob, 1761-1826 : Lepidoptera 1V : Noctua 11 : p.83 - f.389 - Europe |