''Mythimna impura'', the smoky wainscot, 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 ...

. The species was first described by

Jacob Hübner Jacob Hübner (20 June 1761 – 13 September 1826, in Augsburg) was a German entomologist. He was the author of ''Sammlung Europäischer Schmetterlinge'' (1796–1805), a founding work of entomology. Scientific career Hübner was the author of '' ...

in 1808. It is distributed throughout most of the Palearctic realm from Ireland in the west of Europe east to the Caucasus, Turkey,

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, Kazakhstan, Russia, Siberia, Mongolia, then

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. In Europe it is found from the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

to Spain and Italy (including Sicily) in the south, as well as in the northern regions of Greece. Mythimna impura larva

As with other "wainscots", this species has buffish yellow forewings with prominent venation. The smoky wainscot has a dark basal streak with another shorter streak nearer to the costa and tornus. This species has grey hindwings with white margins. The wingspan is 31–38 mm.

Technical description and variation

Forewing ochreous, with a rufous tinge; veins, especially the median, whiter, lined by fine brown streaks, which also appear in the interspaces; a dark shade below median nervure; a black clot at lower angle of cell; outer row of dots shown only by those on veins 2 and 5; hindwing dull grey. - ab. ''dungana'' Alph., from Turkestan and Tibet, is a darker, more fuscous, form in which the dark streaks become obscured; - ab. ''transbaikalensis'' Stgr. from Transbaikal has the forewing dusted with red brown, and the dark streaks almost obsolete; — ab. ''amurensis'' Stgr. is wholly darker; the forewing with the white veins and the dark markings more distinct; - in ab. ''fuscipennis'' nov. arrenfrom Calabria and La Grave, Hautes Alpes, smaller than typical, the hindwing is blackish fuscous.

Similar species

''Mythimna impura'' is difficult to certainly distinguish from its congeners. See Townsend et al. for genitalia images and an identification key. *'' Mythimna straminea'' (Treitschke, 1825) *'' Mythimna pallens'' (Linnaeus, 1758) *'' Mythimna favicolor'' (Barrett, 1896)

Biology

One or two broods are produced each year and adults can be seen at any time between June and October. It flies at night and is attracted to light, sugar and various flowers. The larva is brown or greyish ochreous, sometimes tannish peach; the lines pale with darker edges. It feeds on various grasses including '' Alopecurus'', ''

Dactylis ''Dactylis'' is a genus of Eurasian and North African plants in the bluegrass subfamily within the grass family. ''Dactylis'' is native to North Africa, they are found throughout the world, and are an invasive species. They are known in Englis ...

'', ''

Deschampsia ''Deschampsia'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, commonly known as hair grass or tussock grass. The genus is widespread across many countries.

'', '' Leymus'' and '' Phragmites'' and has also been recorded on the sedge, '' Carex'' and the

rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

, ''

Luzula ''Luzula'' is a genus of flowering plants in the rush family Juncaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species occurring throughout the world, especially in temperate regions, the Arctic, and higher elevation areas in the tropic ...

''. This species overwinters as a small larva.

References

#''The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.'' * Chinery, Michael (1986, reprinted 1991). ''Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe''. * Skinner, Bernard (1984). ''

The Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles ''The Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles (Macrolepidoptera)'' by Bernard Skinner is a single volume identification guide to the macromoths of Britain and Ireland published by Viking Books, often referred by moth recorders ...

''.

External links

* * Taxonomy
''Lepiforum e.V.''
{{Taxonbar , from=Q2012435 Mythimna (moth) Moths described in 1808 Insects of the Arctic Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Moths of Japan Taxa named by Jacob Hübner