Mythimna litoralis
| Shore wainscot | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
| Genus: | Mythimna |
| Species: | M. litoralis |
| Binomial name | |
| Mythimna litoralis (Curtis, 1827) | |
Mythimna litoralis, the shore wainscot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae.
A strictly coastal species, it is found in Europe and Morocco in areas close to the shore. The wingspan is 36–42 mm. It is an ochre-colored moth having a distinctive white streak bordered with dark fine lines along the length of the forewing.[1]
Technical description and variation
[edit]The wingspan is 36–42 mm. Forewing smooth pale ochreous suffused with brown except along costa;median vein white, outlined with fuscous; the nervules towards termen whitish; the terminal interspaces with brown streaks; hindwing pure white. A coast species found in Britain, Denmark, N. Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Spain.[2] See also Hacker et al.[3]
Larva reddish yellow; dorsal line fine, pale with dark edges; subdorsal lines blackish; spiracles black on a pale lateral stripe; head and thoracic plate yellowish. The larvae are monophagous, feeding exclusively on marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) leaves, a plant that grows on dunes along the shoreline.[4]
References
[edit]- ↑ Kimber, Ian. "73.299 BF2201 Shore Wainscot Mythimna litoralis (Curtis, 1827)". UKmoths. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Hermann Hacker, László Ronkay & Márton Hreblay: Noctuidae Europaeae vol. 4 Hadeninae I. Entomological Press, Sorø 2002, ISBN 87-89430-07-7
- ↑ "Robinson, G. S., P. R. Ackery, I. J. Kitching, G. W. Beccaloni & L. M. Hernández, 2010. HOSTS – A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London".
External links
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