Seq # 901120010

Mormo maura (Linnaeus, 1758) Species

Last modified: Nov. 9, 2023, 11:29 a.m.


Used to be rare and local and mainly observed species in the south of the country, but since about 2010 more and more observations became known from Flanders and the coastal area.
Nowadays (2020) a fairly common species throughout Belgium, more observations in the north.


Details

Classification
Family: Noctuidae > Subfamily: Xyleninae > Tribus: Dypterygiini > Genus: Mormo > Species: Mormo maura
Vernacular names
Zwart weeskind (NL), Old Lady (EN), La Maure (FR), Schwarzes Ordensband (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 10 (as Mania maura L.). view page
Status

Native


Distribution


Imago

Wingspan: 55–65 mm.

Museum specimens


Specimens in nature


Bionomics

Hibernates as a small larva, low down in the vegetation.
They pupate in a cocoon behind bark, among Ivy, in crevices and in loose earth.
The adults rarely come to light but often to sugar. They hide gregariously in dark and wet places during daytime.

No pictures yet!

Flight periods

The adults fly in one generation a year from mid-June till early October. Most observations are in August and September.


Observed on

Host plant (species):
Euonymus europaeus and Stellaria media
Host plant (genera):
Prunus, Crataegus, Betula, Salix, Ulmus, Lamium, Rumex and Hedera
Substrates:
Deciduous trees, Herbaceous plants, Polyphagous and Shrubs

In autum, the larva lives on a variety of herbaceous plants like Rumex, Lamium or Stellaria media. In spring, mainly on shrubs and trees like Hedera, Euonymus, Crataegus, Betula or Prunus spinosa.

No pictures yet!