Square-spot rustic: Difference between revisions

Square-spot Rustic
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Xestia
Species:	X. xanthographa
Binomial name
Xestia xanthographa Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
Synonyms
Xestia trumani (Smith, 1903)

The Square-spot Rustic (Xestia xanthographa) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout Europe.

This is a very variable species, the forewings occurring in various shades of grey or brown, with melanic forms common in parts of its range. The best identifying feature is the large, pale, squarish stigma which gives the species its common name. The hindwings are pale to dark grey with a whitish fringe. The wingspan is 30-40 mm. This moth flies at night from July to September ^[1] and is attracted to light and sugar. It also visits flowers such as heather, marram grass and ragwort.

The larva feeds on a variety of plants such as bedstraw, oak and willow, as well as various grasses. The species overwinters as a larva, remaining active and feeding throughout.

1. ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.

• Square-spot Rustic at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera pages

• Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
• Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984