Gothic scoop

The wingspan is 33–39 mm ^[2] . The color of the fore wings varies from violet-gray or purplish-brown to brown-gray and greenish-gray. In the medial cell between the inner transverse band and the kidney-shaped spot, a large black-brown spot resembling the shape of the letter of the Hebrew alphabet nun . The hind wing is light brown, clarified at the root.

A hemispherical egg of gray color with many longitudinal ribs. The central spot and ligation site are dark red. Caterpillars are yellow-green in color, have small yellow dots, thin white lines in the center of the back, very broad and clearly defined white stripes and whitish spiracles on the sides. The red-brown pupa has two curved hooks on the cremaster (a special thickening at the end of the abdomen) ^[3] .

Gothic scoop outwardly indistinguishable from the East Asian species Orthosia askoldensis . In this case, an exact study requires the study of the genital organs ^[2] .

The species range extends from the Iberian Peninsula through all the countries of Europe to East Asia, including Japan. In the north, it can be found beyond the Arctic Circle. The southern border runs along the northern border of the Mediterranean through Asia Minor to the east ^[4] . In the mountains it is found at an altitude of more than 2000 meters above sea level ^[3] . Gothic scoop inhabits forest edges, glades, swamps, shrubby meadows, cultural and anthropogenic landscapes.

Butterflies are active at dusk and at night, prefer to eat on willow flowers. The flight lasts from March to May. Some of the butterflies fly in February, even at low temperatures. Caterpillars live in May and June. They feed on the leaves of various plants, such as long-eared willow , common hornbeam , sowing chestnut , red oak , dioica nettle , sorrel sorrel , thorns , bushy blackberries , rose hips , blueberries and others ^[4] . Pupation and wintering takes place in a mink in the ground.

Orthosia gothica has two subspecies:

• Orthosia gothica gothica - over most of the range,
• Orthosia gothica jezoensis Matsumura, 1926 - in the Far East, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands and the north of Japan.

1. ↑ Striganova B.R. , Zakharov A.A. The Bilingual Dictionary of Animal Names: Insects (Latin-Russian-English-German-French) /Ed. Dr. biol. sciences, prof. B.R. Striganova . - M .: RUSSO, 2000 .-- S. 256. - 1060 copies. - ISBN 5-88721-162-8 .
2. ↑ ^{1 2} Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 5. , Sorø, 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9
3. ↑ ^{1 2} W. Forster, TA Wohlfahrt: Die Schmetterlinge Mitteleuropas, Band IV, Eulen. Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1971.
4. ↑ ^{1 2} Günter Ebert (Hrsg.): Die Schmetterlinge Baden-Württembergs . Band 7, Nachtfalter V. Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-8001-3500-0

• Lázló Ronkay, José Luis Yela, Márton Hreblay: Hadeninae II. - Noctuidae Europaeae, Volume 5. , Sorø, 2001, ISBN 87-89430-06-9
• Günter Ebert (Hrsg.): Die Schmetterlinge Baden-Württembergs . Band 7, Nachtfalter V. Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-8001-3500-0