Cucullia asteris

Cucullia asteris
File:Cucullia asteris.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Cucullia
Species:	C. asteris
Binomial name
Cucullia asteris (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

Cucullia asteris, or star-wort, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found through the Palearctic including Japan.

File:Britishentomologyvolume5Plate45.jpg

Illustration from John Curtis's British Entomology Volume 5

File:Cucullia asteris (larva) - 2014-09-05.webm

Larva feeding on goldenrod

Technical description and variation

For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

C. asteris Schiff (27 e). Forewing pale grey; costal area dull reddish brown; the cell and space beyond rufous tinged: stigmata obscure, incompletely defined by brown, the reniform with a dark curved streak at its lower end; outer line defined only below vein 2 on submedian fold where it forms a double red-brown lunule, followed by a white one beyond which is a thick brown blotch or two streaks; both the inner and outer lines are marked by very oblique dark brown streaks on inner margin; hindwing brownish, the basal half dull whitish grey with dark veins. Larva yellow green; dorsal, subdorsal, and spiracular lines yellow with black edges; head yellow brown, with black spots. The wingspan is 45–52 mm.

Biology

The moth flies from May to September depending on the location.

The larvae feed on Aster tripolium, goldenrod, and other Aster species.

External links

• Fauna Europaea
• Lepiforum e. V. (in German)
• De Vlinderstichting (in Dutch)