Autographa jota

The wingspan is 36–44 millimetres (1.4–1.7 in).Forewing pale dull rosy, with olive fuscous shading; a brown spot at middle of base: inner and outer lines nearly straight, edged with brown; median area from inner margin to above middle ferruginous brown; a small V-shaped spot on vein 2 and a small round spot close beyond it pale golden; reniform stigma in part brownish edged; subterminal line suffusedly margined with olive brown, except above anal angle; hindwing fuscous brown, the terminal border darker; in the rarer form percontationis Tr. the two golden marks are coalescent; on the other hand the outer spot, and sometimes both, may be wanting as in the ab. inscripta Esp.; in the form inscripta, from the Baltic provinces of Bussia, the ground colour is much darker, especially in the lower part of the median area; a similar dark form, but with the golden markings confluent as in percontationis Tr., — subsp. [now species Autographa monogramma (Alphéraky, 1887)] monogramma Alph. is met with in Turkestan and the Ussuri district.[2]

The moth flies from June to August depending on the location.

The larvae feed on the leaves of a wide range of plants, including Urtica, Lamium, Stachys, Galeopsis, Eupatorium cannabinum, Vaccinium myrtillus, Salvia and Senecio.[3]

There are two recognised subspecies:

• Autographa jota anatolica (Southern Balkans, South-western Asia, Turkey, Caucasus, North-western Iran)
• Autographa jota jota

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Autographa jota.

• Plain golden Y at UKmoths
• Autographa at funet
• www.lepiforum.de
• www.schmetterlinge-deutschlands.de