Anania funebris

Ström, 1768

White-spotted Sable

Anania funebris is a day-flying in the Crambidae, commonly known as the white-spotted sable. It is widespread across Europe, northern Asia, and North America. The exhibits a distinctive black-and-white wing pattern and has two recognized separated by geography: A. f. funebris in Eurasia and A. f. glomeralis in North America.

Anania Funebris Zunsler02 by Aah-Yeah. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Anania-funebris-HH by Halvard Hatlen - User Halvard from Norway.. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Anania funebris - Огнёвка траурная (26966434828) by Ilia Ustyantsev from Russia. Used under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Anania funebris: /əˈnæniə fjuːˈnɛbrɪs/

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Identification

Distinguished from similar Crambidae by the combination of black forewings with two prominent round white spots and white-tipped cilia. The separates it from most crambid . Similar Anania hortulata has different wing pattern with more extensive pale markings. Sitochroa verticalis and Pleuroptya ruralis, which co-occur in , have more uniform or differently patterned wings without the distinct paired white spots.

Images

Appearance

Wingspan 20–23 mm. Forewings black with two large round white spots: one before the middle and one in the disc beyond the middle; occasionally a small white dot above the first spot. Cilia white towards tips. Hindwings similarly black with white subdorsal spots but lacking the small white dot present on forewings. Larva ochreous-whitish with deep green line, green subdorsal and lateral lines, whitish-green spiracular line, green dots, and whitish-brown .

Habitat

Found in meadows, grasslands, and open where larval plants grow. Associated with areas supporting goldenrod and other Asteraceae. frequent flowers for nectar.

Distribution

Widespread in Europe, northern Asia (Siberia, northern Far East), and North America. Two : A. f. funebris occurs in Eurasia; A. f. glomeralis occurs in North America.

Seasonality

fly during the day from late April to August, with peak activity in June and July.

Diet

Larvae feed on leaves of goldenrod (Solidago), primarily Solidago virgaurea. Occasionally feeds on dyer's greenweed (Genista tinctoria). feed on nectar from flowers.

Host Associations

Solidago virgaurea - larval food plantprimary
Solidago - larval food plant-level feeding
Genista tinctoria - larval food plantoccasional

Life Cycle

Complete with , larval, pupal, and stages. Larvae feed on plant leaves. stage not explicitly documented in sources. Adults emerge in spring and fly through summer.

Behavior

activity is notable for a crambid . have a tendency to quickly hide behind leaves when disturbed. Adults visit flowers for nectar.

Ecological Role

Larval herbivore on goldenrod; . Part of meadow and grassland , serving as prey for birds and other .

Human Relevance

Not a significant agricultural pest. May be encountered by naturalists and entomologists in field surveys. The North American A. f. glomeralis has been used in studies comparing wing venation patterns for identification techniques.

Similar Taxa

Anania hortulataSimilar size and but has more extensive pale wing markings rather than distinct round white spots on black background
Sitochroa verticalisCo-occurs in meadows and has similar coloration, but wing pattern differs and is
Pleuroptya ruralisFound in similar with somewhat similar wing coloration, but pattern is more uniform without paired white spots

More Details

Subspecies

Two recognized: Anania funebris funebris (Ström, 1768) in Eurasia and Anania funebris glomeralis (Walker, 1859) in North America.

Research significance

Included in geometric morphometry studies for automated identification of Crambidae , helping distinguish it from agricultural pest like the European corn borer.