The Small Rufous (Coenobia rufa) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in western and central Europe, Scandinavia and the British Isles.[1][2][3]

Coenobia rufa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Coenobia
Species:	C. rufa
Binomial name
Coenobia rufa (Haworth, 1809)
Synonyms
Phytometra rufa Haworth, 1809 Nonagria despecta Treitschke, 1825 Acosmetia lineola Stephens, 1830 pallescens Tutt

Description

The wingspan is 22–25 mm.[2] Forewing uniform rufous, with an obscure dark streak from base along middle of wing; a row of outer dots on veins, sometimes hardly visible; hindwing pale, greyer towards termen; in the ab. lineola Stph the forewing is reddish grey; the veins dotted pale and dark grey; the inner and outer lines shown by rows of dots; in pallescens Tutt the red tinge is wholly absent, the forewing being whitish ochreous.[4] •— Larva whitish, dorsally reddish; a dark lateral line, and minute dark dots on each segment; head and plates shining brown.

The moth flies in July and August. The larvae feed on jointed rush (Juncus articulatus) and other rushes.[5][6] Found in damp swampy places overgrown with rushes; often flying in the afternoon sunshine; the females are rarely taken, resting concealed in the lower parts of the rush clumps.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Coenobia rufa.

• Fauna Europaea
• Lepiforum.de

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