Craniophora ligustri

Coronet
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Craniophora
Species: C. ligustri
Binomial name
Craniophora ligustri
Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775

Craniophora ligustri, the coronet, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Europe, through the Palearctic to Japan.

Caterpillar
Mounted adult

Distribution

Western Europe to central Europe to the Russian Far East, northern China, Japan, Korea. In the north, the range extends to southern Scandinavia, the Baltic States and central Russia (approximately St. North to St. Petersburg) as well as the Ukraine. However, on the Iberian Peninsula, the species is limited to the north. In the eastern Mediterranean, it reaches northern Greece with smaller isolated occurrence in central Greece and the Peloponnese. The distribution area also includes Israel, Asia minor and the Caucasus. It occurs in Cyprus.

Description

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

The wingspan is 30–35 mm.Forewing purplish fuscous, more or less greenish-tinged, with a paler patch beyond the cell; prothorax conspicuously whitish. — ab. sundevalli Lampa is a form in which both forewing and thorax are entirely dark olivegreen.- ab. nigra Tutt has the forewing black throughout, without any green tinge, and has only been taken in the North of England; lastly, in ab. coronula Haw. the white apex is suffused with grey brown instead of green, with a white lunule on its inner edge.[1] The white patch diastal to the reniform appears to resemble a crown,hence the name coronet.

Biology

The moth flies from April to September depending on the location.

The caterpillars feed on Fraxinus excelsior, common lilac and Ligustrum vulgare.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Seitz, A. Ed., 1914 Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde, Verlag Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart Band 3: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen eulenartigen Nachtfalter, 1914
  2. ↑ "Robinson, G. S., P. R. Ackery, I. J. Kitching, G. W. Beccaloni & L. M. Hernández, 2010. HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London.".
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