Thursday, 11 August 2016

10-8-2016 MONTE CORONA, ADOR - THE PASSENGER MOTH (Dysgonia algira)


Dysgonia algira, the passenger, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1767 and is found in the Palearctic - from the southern half of Europe and parts of North Africa through West, Central and South Asia.

O. algira L. (= achatina Sulz., triangularis Hbn) Forewing brownish fuscous, with a purplish tinge when fresh; a whitish median band narrowed in middle, edged inwardly by the erect but slightly outcurved inner line, outwardly by the similarly incurved median line: outer line acutely angled outwards on vein 6 and bluntly bent between veins 3 and 4. then sinuous to inner margin near median line; a black apical streak of two spots; the terminal area violet grey: hindwing fuscous, with a diffuse whitish median band: the terminal area grey at middle: fringe grey, below apex whitish; the ab. mandschuriana Stgr.[ now full species Dysgonia mandschuriana (Staudinger, 1892) ] is more uniformly purplish or slaty grey, with the median band only slightly paler, not white. Larva yellowish grey, darker on dorsum, with tine black longitudinal lines; venter and feet pale grey; spiracles black; head yellowish grey. The wingspan is 40–46 mm.

The moth flies from May to August depending on the location. The larvae feed on Rubus and willow.

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