Svensson's copper underwing

{{short description|Species of moth}}

{{Speciesbox

| name = Svensson's copper underwing

| image = Amphipyra berbera.jpg

| image2 = Amphipyra berbera2.jpg

| taxon = Amphipyra berbera

| authority = Rungs, 1949

}}

File:Amphipyra berbera - Svenssons Pyramideneule 03 (HS).jpg

Svensson's copper underwing (Amphipyra berbera) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Charles E. Rungs in 1949. It is distributed throughout Europe including Russia east to the Urals.

This species has a wingspan of 47–56 mm, the female usually larger than the male. The forewings are brown, marked with pale fascia and a dark-centred pale stigma. The hindwings are bright copper-coloured. This species is very similar to the copper underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea) but can usually be distinguished by the pattern on the underside of the hindwings: A. pyramidea has a pale central area, contrasting strongly with darker margins; A berbera is much more uniformly coloured. See Townsend et al.Martin C. Townsend, Jon Clifton and Brian Goodey (2010). [https://butterfly-conservation.org/uploads/Difficult_species_guide_page_70.pdf British and Irish Moths: An Illustrated Guide to Selected Difficult Species]. (covering the use of genitalia characters and other features) Butterfly Conservation.

A. berbera flies at night from July to September{{efn|The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.}} and is attracted to light and strongly to sugar.

The larva feeds on a range of trees and shrubs (see list below). The species overwinters as an egg.

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Recorded food plants

  • Acersycamore maple
  • Carpinushornbeam
  • Populusaspen
  • Quercusoak
  • Rhododendron
  • Salixwillow
  • Sorbusrowan
  • Syringalilac
  • Tilia – lime{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Gaden S. |last2=Ackery |first2=Phillip R. |last3=Kitching |first3=Ian J. |last4=Beccaloni |first4=George W. |last5=Hernández |first5=Luis M. |date=2010 |url=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/hostplants |title=Search the database - introduction and help |website=HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants |publisher=Natural History Museum, London}}
  • WisteriaWisteria sinensis

Notes

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References

{{Reflist}}

  • {{cite book |last=Chinery |first=Michael |authorlink=Michael Chinery |date=1991 |title=Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe}}
  • {{cite book |last=Skinner |first=Bernard |authorlink=Bernard Skinner (entomologist) |date=1984 |title=The Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles}}