Seq # 902420030

Mythimna l-album (Linnaeus, 1767) Species

Last modified: Sept. 16, 2023, 2:34 p.m.


Used to be a rare immigrant in the early days but is now a part of our local fauna. This areal expansion is probably due to a change of climate. Since about 2008 it is a fairly common species throughout Belgium.


Details

Classification
Family: Noctuidae > Subfamily: Hadeninae > Tribus: Hadenini > Genus: Mythimna > Subgenus: Hyphilare > Species: Mythimna l-album
Vernacular names
Witte-l-uil (NL), L-album Wainscot (EN), Le L blanc (FR), Weißes L (DE)
First mention in Belgium
De Sélys-Longchamps E. 1844. Énumération des insectes Lépidoptères de la Belgique. — Mémoires de la Société royale des Sciences de Liége 2: 1–35. On page 12. view page
Status

Native


Distribution


Imago

Wingspan: 30–35 mm.

Museum specimens


Specimens in nature


Bionomics

Hibernates as a first instar larva and pupates in a cocoon underground.
The adults come to light in small numbers and are easily attracted to sugar.

No pictures yet!

Flight periods

The adults fly in two generations a year from late May till beginning of November, but most specimens are observed during September.


Observed on

Host plant (species):
Ammophila arenaria and Phalaris arundinacea
Substrates:
Grasses

The larva lives on various species of Graminae, but mainly on Ammophila arenaria or Phalaris arundinacae.

No pictures yet!