Cryphia algae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Amphiesmenoptera
Ordo: Lepidoptera
Subordo: Glossata
Cladus: Coelolepida
Cladus: Myoglossata
Cladus: Neolepidoptera
Infraordo: Heteroneura
Cladus: Eulepidoptera
Cladus: Ditrysia
Cladus: Apoditrysia
Cladus: Obtectomera
Cladus: Macroheterocera
Superfamilia: Noctuoidea

Familia: Noctuidae
Subfamilia: Bryophilinae
Genus: Cryphia
Subgenus: Cryphia (Euthales)
Species: Cryphia (Euthales) algae
Name

Cryphia (Euthales) algae (Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms

Noctua algae Fabricius, 1775

Cryphia algae, the tree-lichen beauty, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The genus was erected by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. It is found in Mediterranean parts of Europe and the Near East.
Technical description and variation
For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

M. algae F. (= spoliatricula Hbn) (4e). Forewing with basal area wholly, and marginal partly, pale green, marked with black; lines black, placed as in ravula; the median space brownish; some dark marks along the course of submarginal line; hindwing dull grey — ab. degener Esp. (4e) is more unicolorous, the pale green clouded with grey; a dark band beyond inner line. — In ab. mendacula Hbn. (4e) the whole forewing is varied with pale and dark scales intermixed. — ab. calligrapha Bkh. (4e) is a remarkably pretty aberration, in which the basal and marginal areas are more or less filled with lichen-yellow. Larva grey, bluish at the sides, with a dark grey dorsal line. [1] The wingspan is 24–30 mm. The length of the forewings is 10–13 mm.

The moth flies from July to September depending on the location.

The larvae feed on various tree lichen species.
References

Warren. W. in Seitz, A. Ed., 1914 Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde, Verlag Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart Band 3: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen eulenartigen Nachtfalter, 1914Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.