Xestia alpicola
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{{short description|Species of moth}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Northern dart
| image = Xestia alpicola.jpg
| image_caption =
| taxon = Xestia alpicola
| authority = (Humphreys & Westwood, 1843){{Verify source|date=January 2011}}
| synonyms =Agrotis alpina Humphreys & Westwood, 1843
Agrotis carnica Hering, 1846
Agrotis iveni Hüber, 1870
Hadena alpicola Zetterstedt, 1839
Hadena aquilonaris Zetterstedt, 1839
Hadena hyperborea Zetterstedt, 1839
Orthosia glacialis Herrich-Schäffer, 1849
Xestia hyperborea Zetterstedt 1839
}}
Xestia alpicola, the northern dart, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from northern Europe across the Palearctic to central Siberia and in the Alps.
Technical description and variation
{{Entomology glossary hatnote}}
The wingspan is 35–40 mm. Forewing grey shaded with fuscous, with only a slight reddish tint in the middle, the stigmata, which are large, and the lines, fairly distinct; hindwing fuscous with pale fringe; the female smaller than the male; — ab. hyperborea Zett. has the grey ground more varied with reddish and fuscous, the markings clearer; — in ab. aquilonaris Zett., grey clouded with brownish fuscous, the markings are blurred; all these greyer forms are from Lapland; — ab. alpina Humphr. & Westw., is buff grey varied with red, occurring in the North of Scotland and Ireland; — ab. coerulescens Tutt is the rich red-brown form with lilac-grey markings and blackish wedge-shaped streaks, found in the Shetland isles; — ab. carnica Hering is the rufous insect taken in the Carinthian Alps.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
Image:Buckler W The larvæ of the British butterflies and moths PlateLXXX.jpg
Biology
Adults are on wing from June to August. It has a two-year life cycle, the larvae overwintering twice.
Larva brown-red; dorsum with dark striae forming a row of V-shaped marks; dorsal and subdorsal lines ochreous, partially black-edged; spiracular pale and obscure. The larvae mainly feed on Empetrum nigrum, but have also been recorded from other plants, including Calluna
Subspecies
- Xestia alpicola alpicola (Zetterstedt, 1839) (northern Europe to central Siberia)
- Xestia alpicola alpina (northern British Isles)
- Xestia alpicola carnica (Hering, 1846) (Alps)
- Xestia alpicola ryffelensis (Oberthür, 1904) (Alps)
References
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External links
- [http://www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Xestia_Alpicola Lepiforum]
- [http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/noctuoidea/noctuidae/noctuinae/xestia/ Funet]
- [https://fauna-eu.org/ Fauna Europaea]
- [https://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=3134 UKmoths]
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Category:Moths described in 1843
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