| Insecta : Lepidoptera : Noctuidae | Butterflies and Moths |
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| Autographa jota |
Description: Wingspan 38-46 mm. Forewings light brown with a pinkish tinge. There is a broad darker area running along the dorsum making the wing appear two-tone in appearance. The y-shaped mark is greatly reduced and not as obvious as in A. pulchrina. Antemedian and postmedian lines have a pinkish tinge. Hindwings fuscous with a pinkish tone; small discal spot and a broad darker terminal band. Mid-June to mid-August.
World Distribution: Eurasiatic; widespread in western from Spain to southern Finland.
Irish Distribution: Common and widespread throughout all counties including Rathlin Island.
Ecology: Found in similar habitats to the other Y moths. Adults come frequently to light and also visit flowers. The larvae feed from August to May on Common Nettle Urtica dioica, Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum and probably other low-growing plants.
Key Identification Features:
Distribution Map from NBN: Autographa jota at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.
iNaturalist: Autographa jota at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.
| Thompson, R. & Nelson, B. (2023). Autographa jota. (Linnaeus, 1758). [In] Moths of Northern Ireland. https://habitas.org/moths/species.php?item=6548. Accessed on 2026-11-02. |