- Flame Shoulder
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Flame Shoulder 
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Noctuidae Genus: Ochropleura Species: O. plecta Binomial name Ochropleura plecta
Linnaeus, 1761Synonyms - Phalaena plecta
- Ochropleura vicaria
- Ochropleura plectella
The Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout Europe.
The forewings of this species are reddish brown with a black streak interrupted by white stigmata and a creamy-yellow streak along the costa which gives the species its common name. The hindwings are pure white. The wingspan is 28-34 mm. Two broods are produced each year with adults flying from April to June and again in August and September.[1] It flies at night and is attracted to light and sugar and also to the flowers of ragwort.
The larva, grey with a yellow stripe along each side, feeds on a range of plants (see list below). This species overwinters as a pupa.
Contents
Recorded food plants
- Arachis - Peanut
- Aster
- Beta - Beet
- Galium - Bedstraw
- Plantago - Plantain
- Rumex
- Salix - Willow
- Senecio - Groundsel
- Trifolium - Clover
Subspecies
- O. p. plecta - Europe except Iberian Peninsula
- O. p. unimacula - Iberian Peninsula
Notes
- ^ 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
External links
Categories:- Ochropleura
- Animals described in 1761
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