:''The ''Phalaena (Noctua) ochreago'' invalidly described by Esper in 1791 is '' Tiliacea citrago. ''Xestia ochreago'' is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family (biology), family of moths. Taxonomically, they are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly ...

Description

''Xestia ochreago'' has a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

of 37–39 mm. The forewings are basically yellowish or pale brown, with transversal wavy dark brown lines and with yellowish rings surrounded by darker fine lines. At the lower rim of the kidney shaped ring there is a characteristic brownish stain. The hind wings are greyish or pale brown.

Biology

Adults are mainly day-active and are on wing from the end of June to August in one generation per year. Adults are found on flowers of ''

Scabiosa ''Scabiosa'' is a genus in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae) of flowering plants. Many of the species in this genus have common names that include the word scabious, but some plants commonly known as scabious are currently classified in re ...

'', '' Adenostyles'' and '' Cirsium spinosissimum''. The larvae feed on various plants, including '' Verbascum'' and '' Tussilago farfara''. This species overwinters as a caterpillar.

Distribution and habitat

This species is found in the Mediterranean and Asia. In Europe it is found in the mountains of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, the mountains in the eastern

Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

and the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

.Funet
/ref> It is found up to heights of 2,500 meters.

Bibliography

*LepIndex: The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Beccaloni G.W., Scoble M.J., Robinson G.S. & Pitkin B. *Michael Fibiger: Noctuinae II. In: W. G. Tremewan (Hrsg.): Noctuidae Europaeae. 1. Auflage. Band 2, Entomological Press, Sorø 1993, . *W. Forster, T. A. Wohlfahrt: Die Schmetterlinge Mitteleuropas, Band IV, Eulen. Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971 * Erstbeschreibung: HÜBNER, J. 800-1838 Sammlung europäischer Schmetterlinge 4: pl. 1-185

References

External links

Lepiforum e.V.schmetterlinge-deutschlands.de
Xestia Moths described in 1790 Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Taxa named by Jacob Hübner {{Xestia-stub