73.165 Apamea furva (Confused)
fw: 16-19mm (Waring & Townsend), ws: 34-42mm (MBGBI10); Jul-Sep; grasses (Poaceae); local on rocky coasts and mountain moorland in Wales, Scotland, N.England, N&W Midlands
Apamea furva (Confused) §2 male
ID: Antenna setose in male, simple in female. Forewing dull fuscous-brown with indistinct markings. Distinguished from A.remissa (Duscky Brocade) by the following features: scale tuft at base of forewing dorsum (absent in A.remissa); 2 crossbands in distal half of forewing underside (1 in A.remissa)*; costa almost straight (curved in A.remissa); lacks any rich brown colour (present in A.remissa); kidney mark small ~1/4 fw width (~1/3 fw width in A.remissa).
Male genitalia: Aedeagus with simple recurved bands of sclerotisation only, no cornuti. In A.remissa one of these bands bears a toothed crest and the vesica has a distinct cornutus. Harpe stout, of fairly even width and extends beyond lateral margin of cucullus*; finer, more tapered and not reaching lateral margin of cucullus* in A.remissa.
* this feature may not be convincing as the underside crossbands seem to be of variable strength in both species
* possibly because the cucullus is flatter in A.remissa and more inwardly curved in A.furva.
Male genitalia: Aedeagus with simple recurved bands of sclerotisation only, no cornuti. In A.remissa one of these bands bears a toothed crest and the vesica has a distinct cornutus. Harpe stout, of fairly even width and extends beyond lateral margin of cucullus*; finer, more tapered and not reaching lateral margin of cucullus* in A.remissa.
* this feature may not be convincing as the underside crossbands seem to be of variable strength in both species
* possibly because the cucullus is flatter in A.remissa and more inwardly curved in A.furva.
DIssection
Male genitalia
§1 Sychnant Pass, Gwynedd; 21/07/2015; male; fw 15.8mm; to light
§2 Sychnant Pass, Gwynedd; 21/07/2015; male; fw 17.0mm; to light
All images © Chris Lewis
§2 Sychnant Pass, Gwynedd; 21/07/2015; male; fw 17.0mm; to light
All images © Chris Lewis
Page published 03/08/2015 (§1-2)
