Photedes captiuncula, the least minor, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found throughout Europe, in Turkey, Armenia, Russia and much of temperate Asia (western Siberia, Altai mountains, Central Asia and Amur).[1][2]

Photedes captiuncula
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Photedes
Species:	P. captiuncula
Binomial name
Photedes captiuncula (Treitschke, 1825)
Synonyms
Apamea captiuncula Treitschke, 1825 Apamea unica Freyer, 1858 Miana expolita Doubleday, 1855 Photedes captiunctula kasyi Varga, 1970 Photedes captiuncula delattini Varga, 1970 Photedes captiuncula var. tincta Kane, 1895

Technical description and variation

The wingspan is 15–18 mm.[2][3] Forewing whitish ochreous, the base and costal area fulvous, olive-tinged; the median and terminal areas either simply deeper fulvous or darkened with blackish scales; the lines white, thicker in female than male, sometimes diffusely expanded on inner margin; orbicular and reniform sometimes orange-tawny, or grey brown and obscure, generally with pale rings; hindwing dark fuscous; in expolita Dbld.the usual North British form, the forewing is uniform greyish brown; this is also recorded from Armenia; — in tincta Kane, from Ireland, (which Staudinger wrongly sinks to captiuncula), the basal area is grey, the median deep pink, and the terminal pale glossy pink.[4]

Biology

The moth flies in June and July.

Larva (of expolita) ochreous tinged with reddish, more purplish on the dorsum of middle segments; head reddish brown; thoracic plate paler. The larvae feed internally (in the stem and roots) on glaucous sedge, Carex glauca and other sedges.[3][5][6]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Photedes captiuncula.

• Fauna Europaea
• Funet Taxonomy
• Lepiforum.de

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