Acosmetia caliginosa, the reddish buff, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1813. It is found throughout continental Europe and in southern Scandinavia.[1][2] then east across the Palearctic to Siberia.

Acosmetia caliginosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Acosmetia
Species:	A. caliginosa
Binomial name
Acosmetia caliginosa (Hübner, 1813)
Synonyms
Noctua caliginosa Hübner, 1813 Anthophila litorea Freyer, 1845 Acosmetia aquatilis Guenée, 1852 Acosmetia tristis Teich, 1896

In Britain it is rare and has protected status, being possibly confined to a single site on the Isle of Wight.[3]

Technical description and variation

Its forewings are brownish grey frosted with paler dusting; the inner and outer lines dark, the inner outwardly curved; the outer waved and dentate, indented above and below middle, the teeth forming a second line beyond the first; stigmata pale, very obscure; a pale waved submarginal line inwardly shaded with brown; hindwing silky grey, darker towards termen; — the form aquatilis Guen., from Asia, is paler, the forewing yellowish grey. Larva sap green with the segmental incisions yellow; the lines white, slender.[4] The wingspan is 23–30 mm: females are smaller than males.[2][5]

Biology

The moth flies in June and July.

The larvae feed on saw-wort (Serratula tinctoria).[5][6]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Acosmetia caliginosa.

• Lepiforum e. V. (in German)

This Noctuidae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e