Mythimna (Pseudaletia) unipuncta

(Haworth 1809)

  • Subfamily: Hadeninae, Leucaniini
  • Wingspan: 31-36 mm
  • Flight period: May - Oct
  • Spread: Common
  • Host plants: Poaceae

Information

The Mythimna congrua is a moth of the Noctuidae family, Hadeninae subfamily, with wingspan of 31-36 mm.
In Europe it is present on the Iberian Peninsula in France, in Germany, the entire Balkan Peninsula and Ukraine.
Its range extends to Algeria, Turkey, Israel, Syria, the Caucasian and Transcaucasian region, Azerbaijan, Iraq and Turkmenistan. In Italy it is also present in the islands *

The wings of the Mythimna congrua are light brown / ocher with yellowish and brown veins spread over the entire wing. A vein in particular is more evident and dividing in the middle area, it widens creating a sort of whitish point. The border has a thin clear line and a series of small submarginal points corresponding to the brown veins. This species can sometimes be confused with the congener Mythimna riparia .

The rear wing is greyish with darker veins and dusting tending to brown.
Head, thorax and abdomen are in the background color of the front wings, the abdomen is covered by a thick down.

The Mythimna congrua has two or three generations between May and September, it overwinters in the larva stage. Thermophilic species frequents humid environments such as floodplains, banks of canals and swamps. ***

The caterpillar, of the same color as the adult, has a series of longitudinal white and ocher lines as well as a series of small brown / black dots all over the body. **

The larvae feed on Poaceae including Zea mays, there are some reports on Cyperaceae.


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/
*** Roland Robineau, Guide de papillons nocturne de France, Delachaux et Niestlé, 2011 p.146

Mythimna congrua
Mythimna congrua
Mythimna congrua
Mythimna congrua
Mythimna congrua
Mythimna congrua
Mythimna congrua
Mythimna congrua
Mythimna congrua
Mythimna congrua
Mythimna congrua
Mythimna congrua
Mythimna congrua