Tawny Marbled Minor

Tawny Marbled Minor
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Oligia
Species:	O. latruncula
Binomial name
Oligia latruncula (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

The Tawny Marbled Minor (Oligia latruncula) is a species of moth belonging to the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout Europe.

This species is extremely similar to the Marbled Minor (Oligia strigilis) and the Rufous Minor (Oligia versicolor) and specific identification usually requires close study of the genitalia. With a wingspan of 24-27 mm, O. latruncula is usually the smallest of the three, although they all overlap in size. Well marked specimens often have noticeably dark forewings, with blackish basal area and coppery brown, rather than whitish, subterminal band. However, melanism is very common in this species and all-dark specimens constitute 100% of the population in some areas. O. latruncula flies at night from May to August ^[1] and is attracted to light and sugar.

The larva feeds internally on the stems of various grasses including Calamagrostis and Dactylis, pupating in a cocoon among the roots. This species overwinters as a larva.

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

References

• Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984