Xestia alpicola
Encyclopedia
The Northern Dart is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is found from northern Europe
to central Siberia
and in the Alps
.
The wingspan
is 35-40 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August. It has a two-year life cycle, the larvae overwintering twice.
The larvae mainly feed on Empetrum nigrum
, but have also been recorded from other plants, including Calluna
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 is found from northern 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...
to central 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 in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
.
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 35-40 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August. It has a two-year life cycle, the larvae overwintering twice.
The larvae mainly feed on Empetrum nigrum
Empetrum nigrum
Empetrum nigrum is a species of crowberry known as black crowberry which is native to most northern areas of the northern hemisphere, as well as the Falkland Islands in the southern hemisphere....
, but have also been recorded from other plants, including Calluna
Calluna
Calluna vulgaris is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing perennial shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade...
Subspecies
- Xestia alpicola alpicola (Zetterstedt, 1839) (northern Europe to central Siberia)
- Xestia alpicola alpina (northern British Isles)
- Xestia alpicola carnica (Hering, 1846) (Alps)
- Xestia alpicola ryffelensis (Oberthür, 1904) (Alps)