The poplar grey (''Acronicta megacephala'') is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...

. It is found throughout Europe. Acronicta megacephala larva

Technical description and variation

''A. megacephala'' F. (3b). Forewing pale grey, suffused with dark, except in a patch beyond cell hindwing white in male, greyer in female. Larva dark grey, with granulated yellowish dots ; segment 11 with a large yellowish-white dorsal patch ; the hairs, which rise singly, whitish : head black with pale — In ''grumi'' Alph. the forewing is narrower, the space between inner line and median shade conspicuously whitish; this form is found in West China. — ab. ''ochrea'' Tutt has the ground colour distinctly ochreous; while in ab. ''rosea'' Tutt the forewing is rosy-tinged. Warren. W. in Seitz, A. Ed., 1914 ''Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde'', Verlag Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart Band 3: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen eulenartigen Nachtfalter, 1914

Melanic The term melanism refers to black pigment and is derived from the gr, μελανός. Melanism is the increased development of the dark-colored pigment melanin in the skin or hair. Pseudomelanism, also called abundism, is another variant of pi ...

forms sometimes occur. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is 40–45 mm.

Biology

This moth flies at night from May to August and is attracted to light and sugar. The hairy

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

is grey with black and red markings and a white patch towards the rear. It feeds on poplars and

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

s and sometimes on

grey alder ''Alnus incana'', the grey alder or speckled alder, is a species of multi-stemmed, shrubby tree in the birch family, with a wide range across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Tolerant of wetter soils, it can slowly spread with runners ...

. The species overwinters as a

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

. #''The flight season refers to the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

. This may vary in other parts of the range.''

References

*Chinery, Michael ''Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe'' 1986 (reprinted 1991) *Skinner, Bernard ''Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles'' 1984

External links

Poplar Grey (''Subacronicta megacephala'') on UKmoths''Subacronicta megacephala'' on Fauna Europaea''Acronicta megacephala'' on Lepiforum.de
{{Taxonbar, from=Q617688 Acronicta Moths described in 1775 Moths of Europe Taxa named by Michael Denis Taxa named by Ignaz Schiffermüller