Mythimna litoralis
Encyclopedia
The Shore Wainscot is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family.
A strictly coastal species, it is found in Europe
, but only in areas close to the shore.
The wingspan
is 36-42 mm. It is an ochre-colored moth having a distinctive white streak bordered with dark fine lines along the length of the forewing.
The larvae are monophagous, feeding exclusively on marram (Ammophila arenaria
) leaves, a plant that grows on dune
s along the shoreline.
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.
A strictly coastal species, it is found in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, but only in areas close to the shore.
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 36-42 mm. It is an ochre-colored moth having a distinctive white streak bordered with dark fine lines along the length of the forewing.
The larvae are monophagous, feeding exclusively on marram (Ammophila arenaria
Ammophila arenaria
Ammophila arenaria is a species of grass known by the common names European Marram Grass and European Beachgrass. It is one of two species of the genus Ammophila . It is native to the coastlines of Europe and North Africa where it grows in the sands of beach dunes. It is a perennial grass forming...
) leaves, a plant that grows on dune
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
s along the shoreline.