Treble Lines Noctuidae

Charanyca trigrammica (Hufnagel, 1766)

Description: Wingspan 33-40 mm. Forewings ochreous grey with three fine brown transverse lines equally spaced at the costa and converging slightly at the dorsum. There is also a darker suffusion at the termenal area of the forewing. Hindwings dark fuscous with a pale ochreous fringe.

Key Identification Features:

Sets:  male upperside

Flight Period: Early May until the end of June.

Status: Widely distributed but local, found in small scattered sites throughout all counties. Most of the recent records are from the 1990's from well-known localities such as Crom and Monawilkin. The only record north of Lough Neagh is from Portrush in 1998.

Ecology: A woodland species found in open clearings along margins, rough pasture, and hedgerows. Adults become active from dusk onwards and are attracted to light in small numbers. The larvae feed from June until April on a variety of including plantain and common knapweed. It overwinters as a larva.

World Distribution: Eurasiatic: common and widespread in western Europe from Spain to Denmark.

Bradley & Fletcher number: 2380 Agassiz number: 73.101

Additional information:

UK Moths account

Caterpillar: 

 Thompson, R. S. & Nelson, B., 2003 (Oct 2). [In] The Butterflies and Moths of Northern Ireland
http://www.ulstermuseum.org.uk/lepidoptera/species.asp?item=6485

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