Schinia scutosa

Matov, Alexej, Zahiri, Reza & Holloway, Jeremy D., 2008, The Heliothinae of Iran (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Zootaxa 1763, pp. 1-37 : 12-13

Schinia scutosa ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)

Pl. 1, fig. 7; male genitalia Pl. 5, fig. 26; female genitalia Pl. 8, fig. 42. Noctua scutosa [Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775, Ank. Eines Sys. Werkes von den Schmett. Der Wienergegend: 89 (TL.: [ Austria]: Vienna district).

Synonymy: Heliothis nuchalis Grote, 1878 .

References: Bienert 1870; Christoph 1873 ( Heliothis scutosus ); Schwingenschuss 1938; Wiltshire 1945; Barou 1967; Modarres Awal 1994; 1997; 1999 ( Melicleptria scutosa ); Kalali 1976 ( Chloridea scutosa ); Hacker 1990; Ebert & Hacker 2002 ( Protoschinia scutosa ); Hacker 2001 ( Schinia scutosa ).

Bionomics: Multivoltine, usually considered as bivoltine (Hacker 2001). Moths flying from April to September on elevations up to 2350 m. The main habitats of taxon are grass and Artemisia steppes. The early stages have been described by Hampson (1903), Spuler (1908), Forster & Wohlfahrt (1971), Bretherton et al. (1979) and Skou (1991). The larvae mostly feed on flowers and seeds of species of Artemisia and Chenopodium .

Distribution: Holarctic. Europe, North Africa, Near East, Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, south Siberia, Mongolia, Far East, China, north India, North America. – In Iran (Pl. 10, fig. 55) occurs in northern provinces.

Material examined: 61 specimens from provinces West Azerbaijan (= Azerbaijan Gharbi), East Azerbaijan (= Azerbaijan Sharghi), Ardebil, Mazandaran, Guilan, Golestan, Khorasan and Tehran, collected between 14.IV to 30.IX on elevations from 0 to 2350 m.