Egira conspicillaris

Egira conspicillaris
File:Egira conspicillaris.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Egira
Species:	E. conspicillaris
Binomial name
Egira conspicillaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Phalaena conspicillaris Linnaeus, 1758 Noctua melaleuca Vieweg, 1790 Phalaena leuconota Donovan, 1808

The Silver Cloud (Egira conspicillaris) is a species of moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from the Iberian Peninsula to Russia. In the north it ranges to the Baltic Region and in the south to North Africa. It is also present in Western Asia, up to the Caspian Sea.

Description

See glossary for terms used

The wingspan is 36–44 mm. Forewing pale lilac grey in lower half, becoming pale lilac brown in costal ; markings usually much confused ; inner line and median shade thick, brown; claviform stigma outlined with black; orbicular round, reniform large, both pale; outer line denoted by a row of black dashes on veins; marginal area beyond submarginal line darker; hindwing pearly white, slightly tinged with grey; the apex and veins brown; — ab. melaleuca View.has the forewing suffused with dark brown or black, except the inner area and a narrow praesubmarginal band, which are pearly grey or white; — in the ab. intermedia Tutt the outer costal half of wing is also pale brownish grey; both of these aberrations are commoner than the pale type form.

Biology

Adults are on wing from April to May in one generation per year.

The larvae feed on Genista tinctoria, Cytisus scoparius and Clematis vitalba. Other recorded foodplants include Prunus spinosa, Prunus domestica, Fraxinus and Rumex species.

External links

• European Butterflies and Moths
• Fauna Europaea
• Funet
• Lepiforum e.V.
• schmetterlinge-deutschlands.de