73.161 Apamea oblonga (Crescent Striped)
fw: 18-21mm (Waring & Townsend), ws 42-50mm (MBGBI10); Jun-Aug; grasses; NS-B in saltmarsh and coastal grazing marsh especially in E.England in the Thames Estuary, the Wash and the Humber, also Norfolk Broads and fens, local on other coasts of England, Wales and SW.Scotland.
ID: Forewing pale to dark grey-brown with a silky texture; markings generally indistinct; stigmata outlined fuscous, often incompletely; kidney mark also incompletely outlined with white dots; antemedian and postmedian lines pale and indistinct; pale subterminal cross-line; blackish terminal interneural dots; other variable fuscous markings include a paradorsal bar, lined veins especially between postmedian and subterminal lines, interneural blocks or wedges proximally from subterminal line and between kidney mark and postmedian line. Antenna described in MBGBI10 as fasciculate in male, finely ciliate in female; but it appears also to be ciliate in male and setose in both sexes. A.monoglypha (Dark Arches) averages larger (fw: 19-26mm), lacks a pale outline to the kidney mark and has a black ‘V’ on either side of the thorax. A.remissa (Dusky Brocade) averages smaller (fw: 17-19mm) and has a more curved costa. A.furva (Confused) also averages smaller (fw: 17-19mm) and lacks the silky texture. A.anceps (Large Nutmeg) has a warmer brown, mottled forewing. The white dots around the kidney mark may form a colon similar to that of Sideridis albicolon (White Colon) and where a white ring around the kidney mark is more complete confusion could arise with Mamestra brassicae (Cabbage moth) - both these Hadenine species have hairy eyes (glabrous in all Apameini) (?in all Apameinae)
Variability
Dissection
Male genitalia
Female genitalia
§1 Foulness, Essex; 05/07/2008; male; fw 21.4mm
§2 Foulness, Essex; 04/07/2009; female; fw 20.3mm
§3 Foulness, Essex; 10/07/2010; male; fw 19.7mm
§4 Foulness, Essex; 20/07/2013; female; fw 22.6mm
§5 Foulness, Essex; 12/07/2014; female; fw 21.3mm
§6 Foulness, Essex; 12/07/2014; male; fw 19.0mm
§7 Foulness, Essex; 19/07/2014; female; fw 18.9mm
§8 Foulness, Essex; 21/07/2018; female; fw 21.2mm
§9 Foulness, Essex; 21/07/2018; male; fw 19.0mm
All images © Chris Lewis
§2 Foulness, Essex; 04/07/2009; female; fw 20.3mm
§3 Foulness, Essex; 10/07/2010; male; fw 19.7mm
§4 Foulness, Essex; 20/07/2013; female; fw 22.6mm
§5 Foulness, Essex; 12/07/2014; female; fw 21.3mm
§6 Foulness, Essex; 12/07/2014; male; fw 19.0mm
§7 Foulness, Essex; 19/07/2014; female; fw 18.9mm
§8 Foulness, Essex; 21/07/2018; female; fw 21.2mm
§9 Foulness, Essex; 21/07/2018; male; fw 19.0mm
All images © Chris Lewis
Page published 27/03/2016 (§1-7)