True Lover's Knot

True Lover's Knot
True Lover's Knot
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Lycophotia
Species: L. porphyrea
Binomial name
Lycophotia porphyrea
(Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
Synonyms
  • Noctua porphyrea [Schiffermüller], 1775
  • Peridroma porphyrea (Denis and Schiffermueller, 1775)
  • Noctua strigula Thunberg, 1792
  • Phalaena (Noctua) varia Villers, 1789
  • Phalaena (Noctua) concinna Esper, 1790
  • Phalaena (Noctua) concinna Esper, 1804
  • Noctua picta Fabricius, 1794
  • Phalaena ericae Donovan, 1801
  • Noctua ericae Haworth, 1809 (preocc. Phalaena ericae Donovan, 1801)
  • Chersotis marmorea Graslin, 1863
  • Agrotis strigula var. astur Culot, 1909

The True Lover's Knot (Lycophotia porphyrea) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. In Europe it is found wherever its food plants grow. It is traditionally thought of as a species of heathland and moorland but it can often be found in places where heather and its relatives are in garden cultivation.

This is a small but attractive species, with a wingspan of 26–34 mm (individuals hatched in higher altitudes tend to be smaller than those from the lowlands). The forewings are brown, often tinged with purple and marked with a complex pattern of white markings which are supposed to recall a true lover's knot. The hindwings are grey or buff. It flies from the latter half of June to the beginning of August[1] and is attracted to light and the flowers of its food plants.

The larva is reddish-brown with pale lines and feeds on heather and related genera (e.g. Erica). The species overwinters as a larva.

References

Reading

  • Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
  • Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to the Moths of the British Isles 1984