Micronoctua karsholti

Micronoctua karsholti
Micronoctua karsholti
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Micronoctuidae
Genus: Micronoctua
Species: M. karsholti
Binomial name
Micronoctua karsholti
Fibiger, 1997

Micronoctua karsholti is a moth of the Micronoctuidae family. It is known from southern Turkey, Cyprus, the islands of south-east Greece, and the northern Levant (including Lebanon, Syria and Israel).

It is the smallest of all species of the Noctuoidea superfamily.

The wingspan is 6-9 mm. The resting position is flat, with the forewing hind margins against each other. The hindwing venation is bifid. The head, patagia and prothorax are blackish, while the rest of the thorax and ground colour of the forewing is unicolorous dark greyish brown. All crosslines of the forewing are present and black. The fringes are grey. The hindwing is light greyish brown. The underside is unicolorous light brown, with a weakly marked postmedian line and a discal spot.

The habitat consists of warm, dry areas in open grassland with many herbaceous plants and open pine forests. There are multiple generations per year and adults have been recorded from April to October.

References

  • Fibiger, M. 1997: Micronoctua karsholti gen. et sp. n.: an astonishing small noctuid moth (Noctuidae). Nota lepidopterologica, 20: 23-30.
  • Fibiger, M.; Kononenko, V.S. 2008: Revision of the Micronoctuidae species occurring in the Russian Far East and neighbouring countries with description of a new species (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea). Zootaxa, 1890: 50-58. Abstract & excerpt
  • Fibiger, M. 2011: Revision of the Micronoctuidae (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea). Part 4, Taxonomy of the subfamilies Tentaxinae and Micronoctuinae. Preview
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