Apamea anceps
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (July 2013) |
| Large nutmeg | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
| Genus: | Apamea |
| Species: | A. anceps
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| Binomial name | |
| Apamea anceps (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
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| Synonyms | |
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Apamea anceps, the large nutmeg, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775.
Geography[edit]
The large nutmeg is distributed throughout Europe and through the Palearctic realm to Yakutia, Transbaikalia, Lebanon , Armenia, Asia Minor, Iran, Mongolia eastern Siberia, the Chinese province of Shaanxi, and Japan. It is also found in North West Africa.
Description[edit]
The wingspan is 35–40 mm. Forewing grey speckled with darker, and more or less tinged with brown; the veins dark; inner and outer lines double, dark filled in with pale ground colour, conversely lunulate-dentate; the inner line sometimes forming a sharp outward angle below vein 1, meeting the median line, sometimes rounded ami remote from it: claviform brown, darker edged, variable in size, often quite small; orbicular and reniform pale with dark centres, the latter with white dotted annulus and often followed by a pale patch; marginal area dark grey beyond the pale submarginal line, which is preceded by brownish patches at costa and on both folds: hindwing dirty whitish, with darker cellspot, veins, and outer line, the terminal area diffusely fuscous, with the submarginal line showing paler along termen; in typical sordida the brown tints are confined to the two folds: -in anceps Hbn. these brown tints pervade more or less the whole forewing: - ochracea Tutt has the ground colour paler and the suffusion more rufous brown; renardii Bsd. is a very pale form with the markings subobsolete; while engelhartii Duurloo represents a renardii pale form from eastern Jutland with indistinct markings; - ab. mediana ab. nov. [Warren] appears very distinct; the brown-grey ground colour is without dark speckling; the inner and outer lines are single, black and distinct, the outer with clear black teeth on the veins; the median shade, generally inconspicuous, is thick and black, distinctly angled outwards on subcostal and veins 1 and 2; the space between it and outer line deeper brown: the markings of the hindwing clearer; the male specimen from Germany without precise locality.[1]
Adults are on wing from June to July.
Larvae, caterpillars[edit]
The larvae feed on the flowers and leaves of various grasses, including Poa annua and Dactylis glomerata.[2] The caterpillars overwinter. They feed on grasses and are also considered pests of cereals.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ Seitz, A. Ed., 1914 Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde, Verlag Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart Band 3: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen eulenartigen Nachtfalter, 1914
- ^ Robinson, Gaden S.; Ackery, Phillip R.; Kitching, Ian J.; Beccaloni, George W.; Hernández, Luis M. (2010). "Search the database - introduction and help". HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London. doi:10.5519/havt50xw.
- ^ Der Kosmos-Schmetterlingsführer d. europ. Tag- u. Nachtfalter ; mit Raupen, Puppen u. Futterpflanzen. Ivo Novák, František Severa ([1. - 15. Tsd.] ed.). Stuttgart. 1980. ISBN 978-3-440-04774-3. OCLC 256374035.
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External links[edit]
- Kimber, Ian. "73.157 BF2333 Large Nutmeg Apamea anceps ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)". UKMoths. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- Savela, Markku. "Apamea anceps (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved June 28, 2019. Taxonomy
- Lepiforum e.V. Includes photo of genitalia
- De Vlinderstichting (in Dutch)