''Photedes captiuncula'', the least minor, is a moth 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, in Turkey, Armenia, Russia and much of temperate Asia (western Siberia,

Altai mountains The Altai Mountains (), also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central Asia, Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob River, Ob have their headwaters. The m ...

, Central Asia and Amur).

Technical description and variation

The wingspan is 15–18 mm. Forewing whitish ochreous, the base and costal area fulvous, olive-tinged; the median and terminal areas either simply deeper fulvous or darkened with blackish scales; the lines white, thicker in female than male, sometimes diffusely expanded on inner margin; orbicular and reniform sometimes orange-tawny, or grey brown and obscure, generally with pale rings; hindwing dark fuscous; in ''expolita'' Dbld.the usual North British form, the forewing is uniform greyish brown; this is also recorded from Armenia; — in ''tincta'' Kane, from Ireland, (which Staudinger wrongly sinks to ''captiuncula''), the basal area is grey, the median deep pink, and the terminal pale glossy pink.

Biology

The moth flies in June and July. Larva (of ''expolita'') ochreous tinged with reddish, more purplish on the dorsum of middle segments; head reddish brown; thoracic plate paler. The larvae feed internally (in the stem and roots) on

glaucous sedge ''Carex flacca'', with common names blue sedge, gray carex, glaucous sedge, or carnation-grass, (syn. ''Carex glauca''), is a species of sedge native to parts of Europe and North Africa.

, ''

Carex glauca ''Carex flacca'', with common names blue sedge, gray carex, glaucous sedge, or carnation-grass, (syn. ''Carex glauca''), is a species of sedge native to parts of Europe and North Africa.

'' and other sedges. Wikisource:The Moths of the British Isles/Chapter 15#277

References

External links

Fauna EuropaeaFunet
Taxonomy
Lepiforum.de
Noctuidae Moths described in 1825 Moths of Europe Moths of Asia Taxa named by Georg Friedrich Treitschke {{Noctuidae-stub