''Noctua atlantica'' is a
species of
yellow underwing moth belonging to 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 cutworms. This moth is
endemic to the
Azores.
Taxonomy
''Noctua atlantica'' was first formally
described in 1905 as ''Agrostis atlantica'' by the
English entomologist
Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...
William Warren[ from types which had been collected on the Azores in 1903 by the ]Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
ornithologist
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...
William Robert Ogilvie-Grant, who collected a series of 3 type
Type may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc.
* Data type, collection of values used for computations.
* File type
* TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file.
* Ty ...
s from Terceira, Graciosa and São Jorge.lepidopterist
Lepidopterology ()) is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies. Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian.
Origins
Post-Renaissance, t ...
Rudolf Pinker.[
]
Description
''Noctua atlantica'' is may be identified within the genus ''Noctua'' by its wing pattern, having an ochre-brown hind wing. There are also differences in the male genitalia.[
]
Distribution and habitat
''Noctua atlantica'' is endemic to the Azores where it is found on the islands of Corvo, Flores
Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Including the Komodo Islands off its west coast (but excluding the Solor Archipelago to the east of Flores), the land area is 15,530.58 km2, and th ...
, Faial, Pico
Pico may refer to:
Places The Moon
* Mons Pico, a lunar mountain in the northern part of the Mare Imbrium basin
Portugal
* Pico, a civil parish in the municipality of Vila Verde
* Pico da Pedra, a civil parish in the municipality of Ribei ...
, Graciosa, São Jorge, Terceira and São Miguel. It is found in the uplands, at altitudes greater than above sea level. They prefer native forests, where the dominant tree is ''Juniperus brevifolia
''Juniperus brevifolia'', the Azores juniper, is a species of juniper, endemic to the Azores (on Corvo, Faial, Flores, Pico, Santa Maria, São Jorge, São Miguel, and Terceira), where it occurs at altitudes of , rarely up to . It is closely ...
'' particularly where these forests are associated with grassy clearings. They also occur in sunny forest roads and glades of exotic coniferous plantations.[
]
Biology
''Noctua atlantica'' larvae are polyphagous
Feeding is the process by which organisms, typically animals, obtain food. Terminology often uses either the suffixes -vore, -vory, or -vorous from Latin ''vorare'', meaning "to devour", or -phage, -phagy, or -phagous from Greek φαγε ...
, feeding on native grasses of various species. The adults have been recorded almost throughout the calendar year, and individuals are recorded as being attracted to lights in the months between April and November. There are two generations per year in the high elevation populations.[ The younger larvae are nocturnal and hide on the host plant during the day while the older larvae are less strictly nocturnal.]
Conservation
''Noctua atlantica'' has been assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN but its range may have contracted due to deforestation in the lower areas of the islands and the invasion of its remaining habitats buy invasive
Invasive may refer to:
*Invasive (medical) procedure
*Invasive species
*Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance
*Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...
exotic plants may reduce the quality if its existing habitat.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q13498822
atlantica
Moths of Europe
Endemic arthropods of the Azores
Moths described in 1905
Taxa named by William Warren (entomologist)