73.163 BF2322 - Light Arches - Noctuidae - Apamea lithoxylaea

73.163 BF2322 - Noctuidae - Xyleninae - Apamea lithoxylaea - Light Arches

Adult Macro: CAT 1 - Distinctive species unlikely to be confused with others -

- click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines

- Generally Common / Widespread

Taxonomy: Macro >> Noctuidae

ID Difficulty: green

- easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.

ID pointers: A medium sized moth with long slightly pointed wings. Ground colour is a light straw subtly marked with light reddish brown. Most obvious markings are a short dark crescent shaped mark near the centre of the wing and two diffuse brownish wedges on outer wing edge. There is an obscured cross-line beyond the middle of wing that is defined by small black dots.

Distribution: A resident that is locally common and widely distributed in Derbyshire. Present in all areas of the county, especially in the south and east lowlands. In the northern uplands numbers are much reduced.

Flight Period: July / August / - On the wing July – August.

Moth Activity: Nocturnal - is attracted to light and sugar

Wingspan: 43-50mm
Forewing: 18-23mm

Food Plant: Various grasses.

Recorded dates for Common [Blue-coded ] moths are not stored on the website at this current time.

IMAGES BELOW: Melbourne, Derbyshire – Tony Davison ©