Lasionycta leucocycla
Encyclopedia
Lasionycta leucocycla is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It can be found in Scandinavia
, Siberia
and northern North America
.
The wingspan
is 22-28 mm. The moths fly from June to July.
Adults feed on the nectar of Silene acaulis, Mertensia paniculata
and Senecio
species, probably Senecio lugens.
The larvae feed on Dryas octopetala
and Astragalus
species.
Lasionycta leucocycla dovrensis is formally treated as a subspecies of Lasionycta leucocycla, but might be a valid species, in which case Lasionycta leucocycla altaica would probably be a subspecies of Lasionycta dovrensis.
Lasionycta leucocycla flanda was raised to species level as Lasionycta flanda
.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
family. It can be found in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
and northern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 22-28 mm. The moths fly from June to July.
Adults feed on the nectar of Silene acaulis, Mertensia paniculata
Mertensia paniculata
The Tall Lungwort, Tall Bluebell, or Northern Bluebell, Mertensia paniculata is an herb or dwarf shrub with a bright blue coloring, shaped like a bell and drooping...
and Senecio
Senecio
Senecio is a genus of the daisy family that includes ragworts and groundsels. The flower heads are normally rayed, completely yellow, and the heads are borne in branched clusters...
species, probably Senecio lugens.
The larvae feed on Dryas octopetala
Dryas octopetala
Dryas octopetala is an arctic-alpine flowering plant in the family Rosaceae. It is a small prostrate evergreen subshrub forming large colonies, and is a popular flower in rock gardens...
and Astragalus
Astragalus
Astragalus is a large genus of about 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. The genus is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
species.
Subspecies
- Lasionycta leucocycla dovrensis (northern Europe)
- Lasionycta leucocycla altaica (Altai)
- Lasionycta leucocycla leucocycla (arctic North America from Greenland and Ellesmere Island west to northern Yukon)
- Lasionycta leucocycla moeschleri (eastern Canada from the east coast of Hudson Bay and southern Labrador north to the arctic islands near the Ungava Peninsula, Quebec)
- Lasionycta leucocycla hampa (White Mountains of New Hampshire)
- Lasionycta leucocycla albertensis (west-central Alaska and central Yukon southward in the Rocky Mountains to the Beartooth Plateau on the Montana-Wyoming border and the Russian Far East)
- Lasionycta leucocycla magadanensis (Eurasia)
Lasionycta leucocycla dovrensis is formally treated as a subspecies of Lasionycta leucocycla, but might be a valid species, in which case Lasionycta leucocycla altaica would probably be a subspecies of Lasionycta dovrensis.
Former subspecies
- Lasionycta leucocycla kenteana (Kentei)
- Lasionycta leucocycla mongolica (Uliassutai)
- Lasionycta leucocycla subfumosa (Northwest Territories)
Lasionycta leucocycla flanda was raised to species level as Lasionycta flanda
Lasionycta flanda
Lasionycta flanda is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found on the island of Newfoundland and at Goose Bay in eastern Labrador.It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of Lasionycta leucocycla.It is found on tundra....
.