Standfussiana lucernea (Linnaeus, 1758)

Description: Wingspan 36-46mm. Adults variable in colour. Forewings pale ochreous grey to dark brown; dark-coloured stigmata barely visible; crosslines more apparent in the paler forms, hardy discernable on darker specimens. Hindwings dark brown in darker specimens but lighter in paler forms; darker border towards the outer margin with a small dark central fascia and pale fringe.

Key Identification Features:

• Locality and flight period
• Dark hindwings with white fringe

Sets:

Flight Period: Early July and again in mid to late August. Skinner gives from late June until September as the normal flight period on the mainland.

Status: A scarce species with few recent records and confined to coastal counties in Ireland. Adults have been recorded from Killard Point National Nature Reserve in 1999, and Rathlin Island, where it appears to be commonest. There are also records for Ballymacilrany near Portmore Lough, Antrim in 1951 and Cushendall, Antrim in 1972.

Ecology: A coastal species that is mainly associated with rocky cliffs and shorelines. Adults come frequently to light and may also visit the flowers of Heather Calluna vulgaris and Red Valerian Centranthus ruber. The larvae feed from October until spring of the following year on various grasses and herbaceous plants. It overwinters as a larva.

World Distribution: Throughout western Europe to southern Finland and as far south as the Pyrenees.

Bradley & Fletcher number: 2104 Agassiz number: 73.341

Additional information:

UK Moths account

Caterpillar: