Northern Deep-brown Dart
Encyclopedia
The Northern Deep-brown Dart (Aporophyla lueneburgensis) is a moth
of the family Noctuidae
. It is found in northern and western Europe
.
As the common name suggests, this species usually has very dark brown forewings, although paler grey forms exist. There is always a much darker central band, almost black in the darker forms. By contrast the hindwings are much paler, often almost pure white but usually with darker venation. The wingspan
is 36-41 mm. It flies at night in August and September and is attracted to light and sugar as well as various flower
s.
The larva
usually feeds on heather
but has been recorded on other low plants such as bird's-foot trefoil
. This species overwinters as a small larva.
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 family 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....
. It is found in northern and western 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...
.
As the common name suggests, this species usually has very dark brown forewings, although paler grey forms exist. There is always a much darker central band, almost black in the darker forms. By contrast the hindwings are much paler, often almost pure white but usually with darker venation. 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 36-41 mm. It flies at night in August and September and is attracted to light and sugar as well as various flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s.
The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
usually feeds on heather
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...
but has been recorded on other low plants such as bird's-foot trefoil
Lotus (genus)
Lotus is a genus that includes bird's-foot trefoils and deervetches and contains many dozens of species distributed world-wide. Depending on the taxonomic authority, roughly between 70 and 150 are accepted. Lotus is a genus of legume and its members are adapted to a wide range of habitats, from...
. This species overwinters as a small larva.
- The flight season refers to the British IslesBritish IslesThe British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. This may vary in other parts of the range.