Autographa pulchrina

Beautiful golden Y
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Autographa
Species:	A. pulchrina
Binomial name
	Autographa pulchrina; (Haworth, 1809)

Autographa pulchrina (beautiful golden Y) is a moth of the family Noctuoidea. It is found in Europe East to the Urals and the Caucasus.Also in the Khentii Mountains (Mongolia) and East Siberia.

Description[edit]

The wingspan is 35–40 mm. The length of the forewings is 17–20 mm. Forewing fuscous purplish, with the dark suffusion stronger than in iota; inner and outer lines more or less marked with pale yellowish, edged with dark brown;the inner preceded by a brown fascia; median area below middle ferruginous brown, with an orange suffusion beneath externally; reniform stigma partly outlined with pale golden; the two golden spots as in iota; submarginal line suffusedly edged with olive brown, except above anal angle; hindwing as in iota; in the ab. percontatrix Auriv. the two golden spots are confluent; the form gammoides Speyer, from the Baltic provinces and North and Central Germany, is darker, with the purplish tint of forewings stronger and the metallic spots united; — buraetica Stgr. is also a darker, brownish grey form, with stronger golden tinge and conjoined spots, from the Kentei Mts. and E. Siberia; in the ab. pallida ab. nov. [Warren] from the Engadine the ground colour is whitish.^[1]

The caterpillars are green and have yellowish white, slightly wavy lateral stripes. The head is green and blackish bordered. The pupa is black.

Biology[edit]

The moth flies in one or two generations in from May to June and August to September in case of a second generation.^[1]

The larvae feed on low plants such as nettle, honeysuckle, Stachys sylvatica and Jacobaea vulgaris.^[2]

Notes[edit]

^ The flight season refers to Belgium and The Netherlands. This may vary in other parts of the range.

References[edit]

^ 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
^ "Robinson, G. S., P. R. Ackery, I. J. Kitching, G. W. Beccaloni & L. M. Hernández, 2010. HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London".

External links[edit]

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[1] 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

[2] "Robinson, G. S., P. R. Ackery, I. J. Kitching, G. W. Beccaloni & L. M. Hernández, 2010. HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London".

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