Perigrapha munda

Perigrapha munda, the twin-spotted Quaker, is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. The wings are gray, with two closely approximate and very conspicuous dark spots on the disc of the fore wings.[1] a small dark apical mark at the costal edge and a discal spot on the fuscous hindwings. It is found in Palearctic realm (all Europe (absent only in the North and in the South), Russia, and Asia as far east as Japan).

Perigrapha munda
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Perigrapha
Species:
P. munda
Binomial name
Perigrapha munda
Synonyms
  • Noctua munda
    Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
  • Anorthoa munda
    (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
  • Orthosia munda
    (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

The wingspan is 38–44 mm. The moth flies from March to May depending on the location.

The larvae feed on oak, willow, Populus tremula, Fraxinus excelsior, Acer campestre, Humulus lupulus and honeysuckle.[2]

The nectar-feeding adults visit sallow blossom.

Variation

Perigrapha munda is variable both in colour and markings and there are many named forms. The forewing colouration is from light ochreous brown through to dark ochreous. The stigmata are not well defined and the subterminal line is often faint and reduced to two black median dots. The crosslines are not always well defined in darker forms. The discal spot in the hindwings area is not always clearly defined. There is an isolated subspecies on Taiwan

Habitat

Wooded places- deciduous forests, bushy hedgerows and in gardens and parkland. In the Alps up to a height of maximum 1200 meters.

  • habitat
  • larva
  • larva, lateral view

References
  1. Reynolds, Francis J., ed. (1921). "Twin-spotted Quaker" . Collier's New Encyclopedia. New York: P. F. Collier & Son Company.
  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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