| Insecta : Lepidoptera : Noctuidae | Butterflies and Moths |
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| Mniotype adusta |
Description: Wingspan 42-48 mm. Forewings are dark brown with paler stigmata. These are outlined with a fine pale line. The subterminal line is irregular and pale yellowish white with two tooth-shaped indents. There is a series of small black triangles along the terminal line. Hindwings are white with pale brown veining. Mid-May to late July.
World Distribution: Found in western Europe from Sierra Nevada in Spain to the Netherlands.
Irish Distribution: Widely distributed across southern counties but not recorded to the north of Lough Neagh in recent times with the exception of Rathlin Island, Antrim.
Ecology: A species associated with damp woodland, heathland, fens and bogs. Adults appear in small numbers at light and they will also visit flowers. The larvae feed from July to September on grasses and other plants associated with wetland areas such as Bog Myrtle Myrica gale and Alder Alnus glutinosa. It overwinters as a mature larva.
Key Identification Features:
Distribution Map from NBN: Mniotype adusta at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.
iNaturalist: Mniotype adusta at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.
| Thompson, R. & Nelson, B. (2023). Mniotype adusta. (Esper, 1790). [In] Moths of Northern Ireland. https://habitas.org/moths/species.php?item=6343. Accessed on 2026-11-02. |