Chersotis ocellina

Chersotis ocellina is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the mountainous areas of Europe, especially in the Alps, the Apennine Mountains, Pyrenees and the Cantabrian mountains.

Description

R. ocellina Schiff. . The forewing is dark brown with more or less of a red tinge: the veins are pale to the outer line; the stigmata are pale, the upper with dark centres; the orbicular stigma is small and round or oval; the reniform is angled inwards along the median vein to touch the orbicular; the cell is black; the hind wings are brown. R. ocellina is a relatively small species, which is found in Central Asia only, is paler and approaches Chersotis alpestris. The larvae are brown; the dorsal line is pale; the lateral lines are pale and inwardly brown-bordered, and the whole dorsal field between them is darker; the spiracles are brown, each with two pale-ringed black tubercles above them; the head and anal plate are brown; the thoracic plate is black with three yellow streaks; the larvae live on various low plants.

Biology

The moth flies from July to August in one generation.
The larvae feed on various herbaceous plants.

Subspecies

There are two recognised subspecies:

Chersotis ocellina ocellina
''Chersotis ocellina pyrenaellina''