73.356 Xestia agathina (Heath Rustic)
fw: 14-16mm (Waring & Townsend), ws: 28-36mm (MBGBI9); Aug-Sep; heather (Calluna vulgaris); ssp agathina - local on acid heathland and moorland throughout GB, ssp hebridicola - Hebrides
ID: Forewing ground colour ranges from pale grey-brown through reddish-brown to blackish; black streak from antemedian line to proximal border of kidney mark, running through, and contrasting with, small, oblique. somewhat elongate, whitish oval mark, the black streak 'continuing' as a narrower black mark between distal border of kidney mark and postmendian line; pale costal streak from forewing base to postmedian line, marked by black spots at costal ends of subbasal, antemedian and postmedian lines and usually suffused by a blackish costal mark between subbasal and antemedian lines; pale subterminal line with a series of short black streaks running proximally from it.
ssp hebridicola averages smaller and has an ashy-grey forewing ground colour.
Euxoa tritici (White-line Dart) can be similar but has a round oval mark and the 'white line' is subcostal.
ssp hebridicola averages smaller and has an ashy-grey forewing ground colour.
Euxoa tritici (White-line Dart) can be similar but has a round oval mark and the 'white line' is subcostal.
§1 New Forest, Hampshire; 01/09/2013; male; fw 15.5mm
§2 New Forest, Hampshire; 02/09/2013; female; fw 14.8mm
§3 New Forest, Hampshire; 02/09/2013; male; fw 15.5mm
§4 New Forest, Hampshire; 05/09/2013; male
§5 Kintail, Ross-shire; 14/09/2014; male; fw 14.2mm
§6 Housel Bay (Lizard), Cornwall; 22/09/2020; female; fw 13.8mm
§7 Corfe, Dorset; 11/09/2020; female; fw 14.2mm
§8 Corfe, Dorset; 11/09/2020; female; fw 14.7mm
All images © Chris Lewis
§2 New Forest, Hampshire; 02/09/2013; female; fw 14.8mm
§3 New Forest, Hampshire; 02/09/2013; male; fw 15.5mm
§4 New Forest, Hampshire; 05/09/2013; male
§5 Kintail, Ross-shire; 14/09/2014; male; fw 14.2mm
§6 Housel Bay (Lizard), Cornwall; 22/09/2020; female; fw 13.8mm
§7 Corfe, Dorset; 11/09/2020; female; fw 14.2mm
§8 Corfe, Dorset; 11/09/2020; female; fw 14.7mm
All images © Chris Lewis
Page published 16/03/2017 (§1-5) | §6 added 14/11/2020 | §7&8 added 26/12/2020