Lithophane leautieri

Lithophane leautieri, the Blair's shoulder-knot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Europe. It originated from the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, but gradually moved north.

Blair's shoulder-knot
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Lithophane
Species:	L. leautieri
Binomial name
Lithophane leautieri (Boisduval, 1829)

Technical description and variation

For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

The wingspan is 39–44 mm. Forewing pale grey, dusted with olive grey; lines strongly dentate, but much obscured, marked by short oblique costal streaks; upper stigmata ill-defined, but united at their base by a long black line; the reniform with fulvous in lower half; claviform elongate, black-edged, united by a short black streak with outer line; a well-marked black streak from base on submedian fold; submarginal line indicated only by black dentate marks preceding it, of which the two on the folds are longest; fringe mottled dark and light grey; hindwing pale brownish grey, darker towards termen; ab. sabinae Geyer is rather smaller, blue-grey, more distinctly marked, especially the median shade and submarginal teeth; reniform stigma with hardly any fulvous in it; the two black lines on submedian fold hardly visible.^[1]

Subspecies

• Lithophane leautieri sabinae (Geyer, 1832), Valais, Switzerland
• Lithophane leautieri nicaeenis Boursin, 1957, south Germany
• Lithophane leautieri cyrnos Boursin, 1957, Corsiaa und Sardinia
• Lithophane leautieri hesperica Boursin, 1957 Spain, Hetherlands and British Isles
• Lithophane leautieri andalusica Boursin, 1962, Sierra Nevada
• leautieri ochreimacula (Rothschild, 1914), Maghreb

^[2]

Biology

The moth flies from September to mid-November.

The larva is dark green, dorsal and subdorsal lines white, segmentally swollen and partially interrupted; spiracular line yellowish white. The larvae feed on various cypress species.^[3]

The species primarily inhabits xerophilic cypress and juniper areas and can also be found in gardens and parks. The altitude distribution ranges from sea level to 1800 metres.

Notes

1. ^ The flight season refers to Belgium and The Netherlands. This may vary in other parts of the range.