Orthosia miniosa, the blossom underwing, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found in Europe.
| Orthosia miniosa | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
| Genus: | Orthosia |
| Species: | O. miniosa
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| Binomial name | |
| Orthosia miniosa (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
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Technical description and variation
editThe wingspan is 31–36 mm. The length of the forewings is 15–17 mm. Forewing sandy rufous, black speckled, median area generally deeper rufous: lines browner, edged with pale, the outer dentate lunulate; stigmata with yellowish outlines and grey centres: submarginal line rufous and yellowish: hindwing white, rosy tinged along the termen; cellspot, outer line, and veins sometimes well-marked. Form rubricosa Esper is the form in which the red of the median area is most emphasised. Form pallida Tutt is greyish ochreous, with hardly a vestige of rufous: in virgata Tutt, while the basal and marginal areas are grey, the median space is rufous.[1]
Biology
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The moth flies in one generation from the end of March to mid-May[1].
Larva pale or dark blue grey; dorsal and subdorsal lines yellow; the sides black with a yellow spiracular line, marked with a white spot on each segment; head whitish with coarse blackish mottling. The larvae feed on various trees and shrubs, mainly oak.[2]
Notes
edit- ^ The flight season refers to Belgium and the Netherlands. This may vary in other parts of the range.
References
edit- ^ 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, 1914
- ^ Robinson, Gaden S.; Ackery, Phillip R.; Kitching, Ian J.; Beccaloni, George W.; Hernández, Luis M. (2010). "Search the database - introduction and help". HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London.
External links
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- Kimber, Ian. "73.243 BF2183 Blossom Underwing Orthosia miniosa ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)". UKMoths. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- Savela, Markku (July 27, 2019). "Orthosia miniosa ([Schiffermüller], 1775)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved October 23, 2019. Taxonomy
- Lepiforum e. V. (in German)
- De Vlinderstichting (in Dutch)