Mythimna congrua

Mythimna congrua
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Mythimna
Species:	M. congrua
Binomial name
	Mythimna congrua; (Hübner, 1817)
Synonyms
	Noctua congrua Hübner, 1817; Noctua amnicola Rambur, 1829; Aletia congrua;

Mythimna congrua is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae.

Etymology

The species name congrua, meaning congruous, refers to the similarity of these moths with other species.

Distribution

This species is widespread in southern Europe, ^[1]^[2] Algeria, Turkey, Israel, Syria, the Caucasian and Transcaucasian region, Azerbaijan, Iraq and Turkmenistan. ^[3]

Habitat

These moths frequently occur in damp environments (marshes floodplain, etc.) ^[2] and in humid grassy areas. ^[4]

Description

The moth has a wingspan of 31-36mm. These moths have rather broad forewings, with a yellowish-ocher ground color and clearer veins spread across the surface. A larger clearer vein divides the median area. Hindwings are mainly greyish with several veins and a dark gray dusting. The caterpillars are yellowish, with white and ocher longitudinal lines and small black spots along the body. This species is rather similar to Mythimna riparia.^[2]

Biology

Adults are on wing from January to April. There is possibly one generation in Israel, with adults on wing from January to May. In Europe there are two generations from March to June and from August to October.^[2] ^[5] The larvae hibernate.^[4] They feed on various Poaceae species ^[2] and probably also on Cyperaceae^[4]).

Bibliography

Hubner, J. [1800-1838]: Sammlung europäischer Schmetterlinge 4: pl. 1-185.
O. Karsholt, J. Razowski (eds.), 1996. The Lepidoptera of Europe: a distributional checklist
SwissLepTeam (2010): Die Schmetterlinge (Lepidoptera) der Schweiz: Eine kommentierte, systematisch-faunistische Liste. Fauna Helvetica 25. Neuchâtel (CSCF & SEG) 160, Nr. 10019