Phlogophora meticulosa

• Subfamily: Xyleninae, Phlogophorini
• Wingspan: 45-52 mm
• Flight period: Mar - Nov
• Spread: Common
• Host plants: Polyphagous

Information

The Phlogophora meticulosa also called Angle Shades is a moth of the Noctuidae family, subfamily Xyleninae, with wingspan of 45-52 mm.
Its range extends as far east, in the Urals to the Azores, Algeria and Asia Minor, Armenia and Syria. It is present throughout Europe including Iceland, but it seems to be missing from northern European Russia. *
In Italy it is also present in the islands. *

The front wings of the Phlogophora meticulosa are of a whitish ocher color, with the base and the area of ​​the costa widely pink. It has a triangular space on the inner margin before the inner line, the terminal area beyond the submarginal line and an area beyond the outer line are olive green.

The central area is dark green, pink towards the costa. There are also three stigmata ranging from pink to green, the two upper ones have pale lateral edges.
The front wing also has a double external line angled outwards on vein 5, and a submarginal line preceded by a blackish green lunule between veins 6 and 7. The fringe is blackish green, below the vein 4. Sometimes the olive shades can be replaced by an ocher color.

The hind wings are pale ocher, with disc spots, veins, and often the entire inner half has greenish veins.
Head, thorax are in the background color of the front wings, the abdomen results in the background color of the rear wings with a moderate hair.

The Phlogophora meticulosa is normally bivoltine and is visible depending on the latitude from March to November. ***
This moth flies mainly at night and is attracted to light and sugary substances.
It can often be seen during the day resting on fences and foliage. It winters in the larva stage.

The eggs are hemispherical, flattened and knurled, initially whitish in color, subsequently a central spot and a longitudinal reddish line become visible. **

The larva is dull green or pink-brown in color, densely dotted with a whitish, interrupted dorsal line; narrow whitish lateral lines; 4-11 segments with oblique dark side stripes. Often a trslucid protuberance is visible on the last segment. The green / ocher colored head with a darker lattice pattern. **
The chrysalis is brown in color with 4 appendages on the cremaster, two larger central and two shorter and lateral filifome. **

The larva is polyphagous and feeds on a great variety of plants. Those recorded are the egeuents:
Aeonium, Anemone sp., Apium, Basil, Beta sp. , Betula sp., Brassica sp., Broccoli, Centranthus, Cynara sp., Dahlia sp., Fragaria sp., Geranium sp., Hedera sp., Helianthus, Humulus sp., Lactuca sp., Lamium, Malus sp., Nicotiana sp., Pelargonium, Prunus sp., Pyrus sp., Quercus sp., Rubus sp., Rumex sp., Senecio, Solanum, Spinacia sp., Stellaria sp., Urtica sp., Vicia sp., Vitis sp., Mentha sp. **** and others.


* 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. 125
**** Robinson, Gaden S.; Ackery, Phillip R.; Kitching, Ian J.; Beccaloni, George W.; Hernández, Luis M. "Search the database - introduction and help". HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London.