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Svensson's copper underwing

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Svensson's copper underwing
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Amphipyra
Species:
A. berbera
Binomial name
Amphipyra berbera
Rungs, 1949
Caterpillar

Svensson's copper underwing (Amphipyra berbera) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Charles E. Rungs in 1949. It is distributed throughout Europe including Russia east to the Urals.

This species has a wingspan of 47–56 mm, the female usually larger than the male. The forewings are brown, marked with pale fascia and a dark-centred pale stigma. The hindwings are bright copper-coloured. This species is very similar to the copper underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea) but can usually be distinguished by the pattern on the underside of the hindwings: A. pyramidea has a pale central area, contrasting strongly with darker margins; A berbera is much more uniformly coloured. See Townsend et al.[1]

A. berbera flies at night from July to September[a] and is attracted to light and strongly to sugar.

The larva feeds on a range of trees and shrubs (see list below). The species overwinters as an egg.

Recorded food plants

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Notes

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  1. ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.

References

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  1. ^ Martin C. Townsend, Jon Clifton and Brian Goodey (2010). British and Irish Moths: An Illustrated Guide to Selected Difficult Species. (covering the use of genitalia characters and other features) Butterfly Conservation.
  2. ^ Robinson, Gaden S.; Ackery, Phillip R.; Kitching, Ian J.; Beccaloni, George W.; Hernández, Luis M. (2010). "Search the database - introduction and help". HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London.
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