lesser broad-bordered yellow underwing

{{short description|Species of moth}}

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{{Speciesbox

| image = Noctua.janthina.7349.jpg

| image_caption =

| taxon = Noctua janthina

| authority = Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775

}}

The lesser broad-bordered yellow underwing or Langmaid's yellow underwing (Noctua janthina) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout southern and central Europe, and southern Sweden.

File:Noctua jantina MHNT.jpg

Like other members of its genus this species has bright orange-yellow hindwings but as the common name suggests the black sub-terminal bands are very broad and account for about half the area of the hindwings. The forewings are more cryptically marked but are generally more attractively marked than in its congenators, variegated in shades of buff and purplish-brown. The wingspan is 34–44 mm. This species can only be separated from Noctua janthe and the disputed Noctua tertia by examination of the genitalia. See Townsend et al.Martin C. Townsend, Jon Clifton and Brian Goodey (2010). [https://butterfly-conservation.org/uploads/Difficult_species_guide_page_50.pdf British and Irish Moths: An Illustrated Guide to Selected Difficult Species]. (covering the use of genitalia characters and other features) Butterfly Conservation.

Image:Buckler W The larvæ of the British butterflies and moths PlateLXXIV.jpg

The adults fly at night from the latter half of July to August[http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/noctuoidea/noctuidae/noctuinae/noctua/index.html#janthina Information on Noctua janthina] and are attracted to light and sugar.

The larva is brown with v-shaped markings along the back. It feeds on a wide variety of plants (see list below). The species overwinters as a larva.