Clouded-bordered brindle

Description

Apamea crenata, known as the clouded-bordered brindle, is a moth in the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout the Palearctic realm. In the North it crosses the Arctic Circle, in the Mediterranean it is found only in cool locations and mountains avoiding very hot areas. In the Alps, it rises to an altitude of about 2000 metres. This species has a wingspan of 36 to 44 mm. The forewings are pale brown with darker patches along the margins, usually with prominent markings at the base and tornus. The hindwings are grayish with darker venation. Melanic forms occur fairly frequently. Forewing pale lilac grey, often washed with pale brownish; the veins paler: costal area tinged with purplish grey; inner margin with white, and with a strong black streak near base: inner and outer lines double, brownish, the outer followed by a double row of dark brown vein dots with a white dot between; claviform stigma brown, with darker outline; orbicular generally elongate and narrow, sometimes shortened and rounder, with centre brown as in reniform and pale outline, the outer half of the reniform paler than the inner, and the lower lobe dark; cell and median shade brown, the latter not reaching below cell; marginal area beyond submarginal line dark redbrown, emitting large teeth inwards on the two folds; hind wing fuscous, pale grey towards base. Apamea crenata occupies varied habitats. It colonizes grass-rich, uncut, and moist to mesophilic places such as wet meadows, fens, forest edges or clearings, mountain and valley meadows, in heaths and moorland areas as well as in gardens and parks. In the British Isles the moth flies at night from May to July. It is attracted to light and sugar, particularly nectar-rich flowers. Adult caterpillars are brown-grey to earth-grey coloured. They have a yellow-and-white dorsal line. On each body segment there are black spots and black point warts. The lateral stripe is yellow and white. Head, the neck shield and anus shield are black-brown. Three bright longitudinal stripes stand out from the neck shield. The maroon pupa is equipped with two thorns and four short hooks on the cremaster.The larva feeds on various grasses including orchard grasses, tussock grasses, fescues, and canarygrasses. This species overwinters as a larva and feeds in mild weather throughout the season.