The six-striped rustic (''Xestia sexstrigata'') 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 distributed throughout Europe apart from the far south east.
This is a fairly small species with a
wingspan of 36–38 mm. It has pale brown forewings marked with six dark
fascia
A fascia (; plural fasciae or fascias; adjective fascial; from Latin: "band") is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that attaches to, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organs. ...
although some of these can be indistinct. The hindwings are pale buff, darker towards the margin.
Technical description and variation
Forewing greyish rufous, the veins dark grey; stigmata with dark outlines; the claviform with the apex only marked; orbicular sometimes paler; lines and shades all dark and distinct; hindwing luteous fuscous, darker towards termen; fringe yellowish.
Biology
The moth flies at night in July and August and is attracted to
light and sugar, as well as the
flowers of
ragwort.
Larva yellowish brown; dorsal and subdorsal lines pale, the latter black -edged above. The
larva feeds on various
herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of t ...
plants including
dock
A dock (from Dutch language, Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore) or such structures themselves. The ex ...
,
plantain and various
grasses.
The species overwinters as a
larva.
#''The flight season refers to the
British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.''
References
*Chinery, Michael ''Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe'' 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
*Skinner, Bernard ''Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles'' 1984
External links
Six-striped rustic at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera pagesLepiforumFauna Europaea
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1585883
Xestia
Moths described in 1809
Moths of Europe