Cucullia lychnitis Rambur, 1833
Striped Lychnis
73.0570 (B&F: 2219)
Previously:Shargacucullia lychnitis Rambur, 1833
»Suborder: Glossata
»Superfamily: Noctuoidea
»Family: Noctuidae
»Subfamily: Cuculliinae
»Tribe: Acontiini
Na
Resident. Usually occurs singly or sparingly, while larvae are often fairly common to common in West Sussex; extinct in East Sussex since 1880’s. Extremely local and distinctly episodic in appearance – caterpillars often restricted to one or two plants within both dense and thin stands of black mullein, preferring warm sites along downland paths, in chalk pits, on waste ground and on verges of roads and rivers. Colonies currently restricted to the south-west from Arundel to Hampshire border. Single-brooded, flying mainly from mid June to late July; adults can emerge from April to August. Main larval foodplant black (dark) mullein and rarely figwort, on flowers and seed-heads. (Pratt, 2011)