Caradrina clavipalpis

Distinguished from similar Caradrina species by combination of: pearly white hindwing (not uniformly grey); small fuscous stigmata with distinctive white dot pattern on reniform; black costal spots on forewing; and overall pale to dark grey forewing coloration with dentate outer line. Form leucoptera with dark suffusion on forewing but retained white hindwing may cause confusion with other dark noctuids, but hindwing color remains diagnostic.

Grassland and gardens; also found in agricultural areas where cereal crops are grown.

Native to Palearctic realm: Europe, North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt), Middle East (Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan), Central Asia, Russia, Mongolia, Pakistan, north-west India, and Sri Lanka. Introduced to North America: first reported Queens, New York City 1993; established and spreading, recorded in Rochester, New York by 2009. Resident in British Isles with populations boosted by immigration; declined in Scotland and northern England but stable overall in Britain.

Adults fly from April to October depending on location. Two generations per year in UK: May–July and August–October. Two generations per year in North America.

Adults feed on sugar and at flowers. Larvae feed on grain of cereal crops (Gramineae) in fields and storage, and on plantains (Plantago spp.).

• Plantago spp. - larval food plant
• Gramineae (cereal crops) - larval food plantgrains in fields and storage
• Cheletomorpha lepidopterum - parasitemite found infesting adults in hay bales

Two generations per year in temperate regions. Larvae pupate in autumn in robust underground cocoons and emerge in spring; early generation gives rise to second generation later in year. Overwintering occurs as pupa.

Adults attracted to light and sugar. Adults recorded in large numbers on nights with known influxes of migrants. Nocturnal flight activity.

Larvae feed on stored cereal grains, potentially causing economic damage in grain storage facilities. Subject of genome sequencing as part of Darwin Tree of Life Project (genome assembly 474 Mb, 98.8% BUSCO completeness).

• Caradrina morpheus (Mottled Rustic)Similar size and general appearance, but C. clavipalpis has pearly white hindwing versus greyish hindwing in C. morpheus; also differs in forewing pattern details
• Other Caradrina speciesC. clavipalpis distinguished by combination of white hindwing, small fuscous stigmata with white dots, and black costal spots

• Noctuidae
• moth
• Palearctic
• introduced species
• North America
• agricultural pest
• genome sequenced

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• The genome sequence of the pale mottled willow, Caradrina clavipalpis (Scopoli, 1763).