Shoulder-striped Wainscot

Shoulder-striped Wainscot
Shoulder-striped Wainscot
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Leucania
Species: L. comma
Binomial name
Leucania comma
Linnaeus, 1761
Synonyms
  • Aletia comma
  • Mythimna comma

The Shoulder-striped Wainscot (Leucania comma) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. Some authors place it in the genus Mythimna. It is found throughout Europe.

The forewings of this species share the pale buffish ground colour and prominent venation of other "wainscots" but has much stronger dark markings than most of its relatives, including a thick black basal streak which gives it its common name. The hindwings are dingy grey or brown with lighter fringes. The wingspan is 35-42 mm. This species flies at night in June and July [1] and is attracted to light and sugar.

The larva feeds on various grasses including Deschampsia and Festuca. The species overwinters as a full-grown larva in a cell beneath the surface of the soil.

  1. ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.

References

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