Insecta : Lepidoptera : NoctuidaeButterflies and Moths

Naenia typica (Linnaeus, 1758)

Gothic

Naenia typica

Description: Wingspan 36-46 mm. Females larger than males. Forewings are dark brown with pale whitish brown veining and crosslines and poorly-defined stigmata. Hindwings fuscous with darker veining. There is a fine dark line at the outer margin of the hindwing. End of June to late August.

World Distribution: Throughout western Europe from Finland to Spain.

Irish Distribution: Donovan (1936) described this species as being common in suitable localities throughout Ireland, a statement that Baynes disputed, based on a lack of information and records. In N. Ireland it has been recorded from all counties. However the vast majority of recent records refer to Down, where it has been taken regularly in a variety of habitats including suburban gardens

Ecology: A species that favours wet damp marshy areas, including weedy areas and riverbanks. Adults come to light very sparingly, but visit flowers especially privet Ligustrum spp. They rest during the day concealed among vegetation and occasionally in old buildings. The larvae feed from August to March on willowherb Epilobium spp., dock Rumex spp. and willow Salix spp. It overwinters as a larva.

Key Identification Features:

  • Pale whitish brown veining
  • Dark hindwings with small fine black line along the outer edge

Distribution Map from NBN: Naenia typica at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Naenia typica at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

 Thompson, R. & Nelson, B. (2023). Naenia typica. (Linnaeus, 1758). [In] Moths of Northern Ireland.
https://habitas.org/moths/species.php?item=6227. Accessed on 2026-11-02.