Species Details

ABH: 73.294

BF: 2197

Family: Noctuidae

Subfamily: Hadeninae

Taxon: Mythimna straminea

Authority: (Treitschke, 1825)

Vernacular: Southern Wainscot

Account: Local in reed-beds and fens throughout much of England, south of a line from the Bristol Channel to the Wash; less common farther north, but occurs locally in mid-Wales, Cheshire, Yorkshire and Cumbria The most likely confusion species are: Common Wainscot M. pallens, which lacks the straight termen, pointed apex and row of postmedian dots on the forewing; Obscure Wainscot M. obsoleta, which has a more narrow forewing with an even more pointed apex, and subterminal line of dots usually complete and parallel to termen; and Shore Wainscot M. litoralis, Devonshire Wainscot M. putrescens and Cosmopolitan M. loreyi, which all have pure white hindwings, as does the unrelated but not dissimilar Reed Dagger Simyra albovenosa (MBGBI Vol 9). Larva feeds on Common Reed and Reed Canary-grass.

Accounts provided by and used with the kind permission of Mike Wall, Hampshire County Moth Recorder. These will in due course be gradually replaced with species accounts with a Surrey context.

Wingspan: 32 — 40 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 14 Jun (2000) — 21 Aug (1977)

The flight period of overwintering adults are not given. See the flight chart below the distribution map.

Foodplant: Phalaris sp., Phragmites sp.

Foodplant accounts are from the HOSTS database — Natural History Museum, London, UK. (CC0).

Status: Least Concern (LC)

UK BAP:

WCA:

Click here to view the full geology map of Surrey.

Verification Grade: 2 — Care needed to identify, an image may be required 🤔
Further Information: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/mythimna-straminea/
Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 74

Individuals: 51

Earliest Year: 1927

Latest Year: 2018

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