Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Noctuidae Scientific name Xestia speciosa | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Xestia Rank Species | |
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Similar Xestia alpicola, Xestia, Xestia baja, Xestia ditrapezium, Ashworth's rustic | ||
Xestia speciosa is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in northern Europe, including Fennoscandia, the Baltic region, parts of Russia and further through northern Asia to the Pacific Ocean and Japan. It is also found in the mountainous areas of central and southern Europe. It is also present in north-western North America.
Some authors treat Xestia apropitia as a valid species, while Mikkola, Lafontaine and Kononenko (1996) placed it as a subspecies of Xestia speciosa.
The wingspan of ssp. speciosa is 38–50 mm. Subspecies arctica has a wingspan of 36–45 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August in one generation.
The larvae feed on various low-growing plants, including Vaccinium myrtillus, Lonicera nigra and Betula nana.
Subspecies
Note that only speciosa, arctica and modesta are confirmed subspecies. The other listed subspecies need further study to confirm their status. Xestia viridescens is sometimes included here as another subspecies.