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Actinotia polyodon

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Actinotia polyodon
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Actinotia
Species:
A. polyodon
Binomial name
Actinotia polyodon
(Clerck, 1759)
Synonyms
  • Phalaena polyodon Clerck, 1759
  • Phalaena perspicillaris Linnaeus, 1761

Actinotia polyodon, the purple cloud, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in much of the Palearctic realm, from Europe to Russia and Japan.

A. polyodon Cl. (= perspicillaris L.) (15 d). Forewing bone-colour suffused with olive brown along costa and inner margin and interrupted along termen; the reniform stigma also placed on an olive brown cloud: costa and space between veins 2 and 4 tinged with purplish pink; a black streak from base in submedian fold and a double one from inner margin near base; reniform stigma large, pale olive with linear centre and outline creamy white; veins towards margin dark, forming centre of wedgeshaped marks, 3, 4 and 7, 8 broadly edged with ground colour and cutting the dark fringe; outer line marked by dark dots on veins: hindwing bone-colour with broad brownish margin and blackish veins. - Larva red-brown, dotted with black; a subdorsal row of oblique brown marks; dorsal and spiracular lines yellow; head brown. [1] The wingspan is 31–36 mm.

Biology

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Adults are on wing from May to August in two generations. At times there is a partial third generation from September to October.

The larvae feed on perforate St John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum) and liquorice milkvetch (Astragalus glycyphyllos).

References

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  1. ^ 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, 1914Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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Figs.2,2a,2b larva after last moult 2c pupa 2d magnified dorsal view of segment
Larva with parasites