''Xestia ditrapezium'' (triple-spotted clay) 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 ...
found in most of
Europe, northern
Turkey, northern
Iran,
Transcaucasia,
Caucasus, central
Asia, from the
Altai to
Ussuri,
Amur,
Kuril Islands, northern
Mongolia,
Tibet,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Korea, and
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 ...
.
The
wingspan is 35–47 mm. The forewing is darker than in ''
Xestia triangulum
The double square-spot (''Xestia triangulum'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed through most of Europe except Portugal, the Mediterranean islands and northernmost Fennoscandia. In the East, the species ranges East across th ...
'' Hufn., a smooth vinous brown; the dark markings are not so black; the hindwing is distinctly yellowish-tinged.
Differences from ''X. triangulum'':
*''X. ditrapezium'' forewings on average are narrower (or longer). The ground color of the forewings is usually darker (red to violet-brown) and the color of the rear wing is a shade lighter. The hindwings are significantly lighter than the forewings. The collar is without contrasts, almost monochrome.
*''X. triangulum'' forewings on average are wider (or shorter). The ground color of the forewings is usually lighter (ochre to tawny or grayish brown); the color of the hindwings is usually slightly darker grey. The hindwings are about as light as the front wings. The lower part of the neck collar is grey, separated by a light line from the dark upper.
Biology
Adults are on wing from in July.
When they are small, the larvae overwinter while hibernating. After winter, they feed on various food plants, including ''
Vaccinium myrtillus
''Vaccinium myrtillus'' or European blueberry is a holarctic species of shrub with edible fruit of blue color, known by the common names bilberry, blaeberry, wimberry, and whortleberry. It is more precisely called common bilberry or blue whortle ...
'', ''
Prunus spinosa'', ''
Salix'', ''
Alnus'', ''
Betula'' and ''
Rubus'' (including ''
Rubus idaeus'').
References
External links
LepiforumUKmothsFunetFauna Europaea
Xestia
Moths of Asia
Moths of Europe
Moths described in 1775
{{Xestia-stub