Heart and club
| Heart and club | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
| Genus: | Agrotis |
| Species: | A. clavis |
| Binomial name | |
| Agrotis clavis Hufnagel, 1766 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The heart and club (Agrotis clavis) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout the Palearctic ecozone.
The common name of this species refers to the supposed shapes of the bold dark stigmata on the usually pale forewings. In this species all the stigmata have a rounded shape, contrasting with the elongated claviform stigmata of the much commoner heart and dart. The hindwings are grey, usually much darker than in heart and dart and turnip moth. The wingspan is 35–40 mm. The moth flies at night in June and July and is attracted to light and sugar.
The larva feeds on a variety of herbaceous plants (see list below). The young larva feeds on the leaves of the food plant, later feeding on the roots. It overwinters as a full-grown larva in a cavity in the soil before pupating in the spring.
- ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.
Recorded host plants
- Brassica oleracea
- Chenopodium - goosefoot
- Lactuca - lettuce
- Polygonum - knotgrass
- Rumex
- Spinacia - spinach
- Trifolium - clover
- Zea - maize
Full list at reference.[1]
Subspecies
- A. c. clavis - Europe
- A. c. corsa - Corsica
External links
References
- Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
- Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to the Moths of the British Isles 1984