View source for Apamea remissa

{{short description|Species of moth}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Dusky brocade
| image = Apamea remissa 190605.jpg
| image2 = Apamea_remissa.jpg
| taxon = Apamea remissa
| authority = ([[Jacob Hübner|Hübner]], 1809)
}}
'''''Apamea remissa''''', the '''dusky brocade''', is a [[species]] of [[moth]] of the family [[Noctuidae]]. It is distributed throughout [[Europe]] and [[Turkey]], ranging across the [[Palearctic realm]] to [[Siberia]], [[Manchuria]] and [[Japan]]. It has also been reported from [[Alaska]].<ref name=kon>Kononenko, V. S., et al. (1989). Annotated list of owlet moths (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) of Beringia. ''Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie'' 68(3) 549-67.</ref>

Some authors consider ''[[Apamea indocilis]]'' to be a subspecies of ''Apamea remissa''.
==Description==
{{Entomology glossary hatnote}}
This species has a [[wingspan]] of 36 to 42&nbsp;mm. Well-marked individuals are fairly distinctive, but forms with obscure markings can be difficult to distinguish from other species. The typical form has pale greyish-brown forewings with dark markings, including a large blackish mark near the [[dorsum (anatomy)|dorsum]] and two spots at the [[Glossary of Lepidopteran terms|termen]]. The difference between the ground colour and the dark shading is pronounced, the ground being pale grey, often reddish tinted, and the markings blackish fuscous;some black wedge shaped marks before submarginal line; the upper stigmata whitish. The hindwings are greyish with darker venation.
==Technical description and variation==
{{Entomology glossary hatnote}}
as ''P. obscura'' Haw. (= ''gemina'' Hbn., ''anceps'' Dup.) (40 c). Forewing reddish brown mixed with grey, especially along costa and inner margin; inner and outer lines dark, conversely edged with pale, and lunulate-dentate; submarginal line pale grey, preceded by a brown shade, the terminal area dark fuscous; claviform obscure, dark edged; orbicular and reniform grey with whitish annuli; hindwing dirty whitish grey with dark veins and cellspot, the termen diffusely dark fuscous; — in the ab. ''submissa'' Tr. (40 d) the forewing has a short black streak from base below cell, and another on inner margin near base, often with dark cloud above its end; a black streak along submedian fold between inner and outer lines, below which the inner marginal area is paler; the dark suffusion on the rest of wing somewhat stronger; in ab. ''remissa'' Hbn. (= ''supermissa'' Spul.) (40 d) the difference between the ground colour and the dark shading is still more marked, the ground being pale grey, often reddish tinted, and the markings blackish fuscous; some black wedge shaped marks before submarginal line; the upper stigmata whitish. Larva grey brown;
the tubercles blackish; dorsal line whitish, subdorsal lines pale; spiracular line broader, pale grey, edged above with dark: spiracles black; head and thoracic plate black brown.<ref>[[William Warren (entomologist)|Warren. W.]] in Seitz, A. Ed., 1914 ''Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde'', Verlag Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart Band 3: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen eulenartigen Nachtfalter, 1914{{PD-notice}}</ref> ''Apamea remissa'' is difficult to certainly distinguish from is congener ''[[Apamea furva]]''. See Townsend et al.<ref>Martin C. Townsend, Jon Clifton and Brian Goodey (2010). [https://butterfly-conservation.org/uploads/Difficult_species_guide_page_72.pdf   ''British and Irish Moths: An Illustrated Guide to Selected Difficult Species'']. (covering the use of genitalia characters and other features) Butterfly Conservation.</ref>
[[Image:Buckler W The larvæ of the British butterflies and moths PlateLXVII.jpg|thumb|140px|left|Figs 2 larva before last moult 2a larva after last moult]]
==Biology==
This moth flies at night and is attracted to light, sugar and [[nectar]]-rich [[flower]]s. In the [[British Isles]] the moth is active in June and July.

The [[larva]] feeds on various [[grass]]es, including [[Calamagrostis|reedgrasses]], [[Deschampsia|tussock grasses]], [[Festuca|fescues]], [[Phalaris|canarygrasses]], and [[Secale|ryes]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/hostplants/  |title= Robinson, G. S., et al. 2010. HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London.|date= 2023|doi= 10.5519/havt50xw|last1= Robinson|first1= Gaden S.|last2= Ackery|first2= Phillip R.|last3= Kitching|first3= Ian|last4= Beccaloni|first4= George W.|last5= Hernández|first5= Luis M.|publisher= Natural History Museum}}</ref> This species overwinters as a larva, feeding during mild weather.

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*Chinery, M. ''Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe''. 1986 (Reprinted 1991).
*Skinner, B. ''Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles''. 1984.

==External links==
{{commonscat|Apamea remissa}}
*[http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/noctuoidea/noctuidae/xyleninae/apamea/index.html Funet] Taxonomy
*[http://www.lepiforum.de/cgi-bin/lepiwiki.pl?Apamea_Remissa Lepiforum.de]
*[http://www.vlindernet.nl/vlindersoort.php?vlinderid=764&vq=Apamea Vlindernet.nl {{in lang|nl}}]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q2983319}}

[[Category:Apamea (moth)|remissa]]
[[Category:Moths described in 1809]]
[[Category:Moths of Asia]]
[[Category:Moths of Europe]]
[[Category:Moths of North America]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Jacob Hübner]]