Dysgonia algira, the passenger, 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 Carl Linnaeus in 1767 and is found in the

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...

- from the southern half of Europe and parts of North Africa through West,

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and South Asia.

Technical description and variation

''O. algira'' L. (= ''achatina'' Sulz., ''triangularis'' Hbn) Forewing brownish fuscous, with a purplish tinge when fresh; a whitish median band narrowed in middle, edged inwardly by the erect but slightly outcurved inner line, outwardly by the similarly incurved median line: outer line acutely angled outwards on vein 6 and bluntly bent between veins 3 and 4. then sinuous to inner margin near median line; a black apical streak of two spots; the terminal area violet grey: hindwing fuscous, with a diffuse whitish median band: the terminal area grey at middle: fringe grey, below apex whitish; the ab. ''mandschuriana'' Stgr. now full species ''Dysgonia mandschuriana'' (Staudinger, 1892) ">Dysgonia_mandschuriana.html" ;"title="now full species ''Dysgonia mandschuriana">now full species ''Dysgonia mandschuriana'' (Staudinger, 1892) is more uniformly purplish or slaty grey, with the median band only slightly paler, not white. Larva yellowish grey, darker on dorsum, with tine black longitudinal lines; venter and feet pale grey; spiracles black; head yellowish grey.William Warren (entomologist)">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 The wingspan is 40–46 mm.

Biology

The moth flies from May to August depending on the location. The larvae feed on ''Rubus'' and willow.

References

External links

*
Passenger on ''UKMoths''

''Lepiforum e.V.''
Dysgonia Moths described in 1767 Moths of Africa Moths of Cape Verde Moths of Europe Moths of the Middle East Moths of Asia Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Catocalini-stub