Cucullia argentea
Cucullia argentea (green silver-spangled shark) is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Southern and Central Europe through Siberia, Mongolia and Manchuria up to Korea and Japan.
| Cucullia argentea | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
| Genus: | Cucullia |
| Species: | C. argentea |
| Binomial name | |
| Cucullia argentea (Hufnagel, 1766) | |
Technical description and variation
The wingspan is 28–34 mm. Forewing olive green, with silvery white blotches: these are an oblique band near base, a large blotch below cell, a submarginal band interrupted above middle, and a marginal narrow band ; orbicular and reniform round and silvery white, the lower half of former and middle of latter obliterated by a darker green streak through cell; fringe white, with grey green base; hindwing white, becoming greenish fuscous along termen. ab. subcaerulea Stgr. [subspecies C. a. subcaerulea Staudinger, 1901] (26 a), from W. Siberia and W. Turkestan, is paler, more bluish green. Larva dull green, with a narrow redbrown or pinkish streak on each segment; dorsal and subdorsal lines yellowish, interrupted by the streaks so as to form spots; spiracular lines yellow; spiracles yellow with black rings; head reddish.[1]
Biology
The moth flies from June to August depending on the location.
The larvae feed on the flowers and seeds of feeds up in autumn on the flowers and seeds Artemisia campestris in sandy localities, and turn to a greenish pupa.
References
- Warren. W. in 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
