Mythimna conigera, the brown-line bright-eye, is a moth of the family Noctuidae.

Brown-line bright-eye
Mythimna conigera. Dorsal view
Side view
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Mythimna
Species:
M. conigera
Binomial name
Mythimna conigera
Synonyms
  • Phalaena (Noctua) floccida Esper, 1788

Distribution

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This species can be found in Europe and there is a disjunct population in the Sind Valley, Kashmir named subspecies angulifera (Moore, 1881) and east across the Palearctic from Asia Minor, Armenia, Central Asia, Siberia to Japan. [1][2]

Habitat

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These moths inhabit open habitats, wet and dry meadows, in montane and subalpine areas. [3]

Technical description and variation

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The wingspan is 30–35 mm. [4] Forewing smooth pale ochreous suffused with brown except along costa; Forewing pale fulvous suffused with darker: lines fine, brown; inner line angled on submedian fold: outer sinuate, nearly parallel to outer margin; orbicular and reniform stigmata pale, indistinct, except lower lobe of reniform, which is marked by a snowwhite spot, and is often surrounded by a grey cloud: hindwing pale rufous, darker towards termen: -suffusa Tutt is a melanic form, without any yellow tint, from North England and W. Ireland.

 
Figs 1, 1a, 1b larvae after final moult

Larva dull yellow brown; dorsal line white, with dark edges: subdorsal line black; lateral lines white flecked with red, with a broad brown stripe running beneath them and above the black spiracles.[5]

Biology

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The moth flies from June to July depending on the location. [4] The larvae feed on various grasses, including Dactylis glomerata, Elymus repens.[6] Phalaris arundinacea, Calamagrostis purpurea and Festuca species. [1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Funet
  2. ^ Fauna Europaea
  3. ^ Pieris.ch (in German)
  4. ^ a b UKmoths
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ "Robinson, G. S., P. R. Ackery, I. J. Kitching, G. W. Beccaloni & L. M. Hernández, 2010. HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London".
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