| Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura plecta (Linnaeus, 1760)) |
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Scientific name: Ochropleura plecta (Linnaeus, 1760) Common name: Flame Shoulder French name: Cordon blanc Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Heterocera Family: Noctuidae Subfamily: Noctuinae Wingspan: 28-34 mm. Biotope: Meadows, woodland edges, gardens. Geographic area: Holarctic region. Flight time: April-June then July-September. Number of generations : 2 Caterpillar: Brown, greenish brown or yellowish brown on the upper side and pale brown or yellowish on the underside with a white dorsal line bordered with dark. It sometimes shows a white lateral stripe and some thin dark lines on the upper side. The spiracles are black. Host plant: Many low growing plants including Galium sp), Clovers (Trifolium sp), Docks and Sorrels (Rumex sp), Plantains (Plantago sp), etc. |
The Flame Shoulder shows reddish brown fore wings with a broad very pale creamy white band on the costal edge extending up to a black submarginal marking. This band is bordered by a broad black streak over which you can see the orbicular spot and which extends up to the reniform spot. These two spots are grey in the centre and outlined with white. The hind wings are yellowish white. There are several subspecies including Ochropleura plecta unimacula which is found in Spain and which is missing the orbicular spot. There is a possible confusion with the Radford's Flame Shoulder (Ochropleura leucogaster) whose geographical range, in France, is mainly located along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. The dorsal side of the first abdominal segments of Ochropleura leucogaster shows pure white hairs while they are yellowish brown on Ochropleura plecta. You cannot see this particularity when the moth is in the resting position. The other details allowing to tell both species apart are as follow. Ochropleura plecta is more reddish while Ochropleura leucogaster is more greyish. The creamy white costal band disappears next to the reniform spot on Ochropleura plecta while it extends further to the margin on Ochropleura leucogaster. The reniform spot is only followed by a small black dot on Ochropleura plecta while it is followed by a larger black marking on Ochropleura leucogaster, about the size of the reniform spot. |
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Having often difficulties to shoot good pictures of caterpillars among vegetation, I have put this one, found on low growing plants in the garden, on a sheet of white paper. |
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Here is another picture of the same caterpillar, rolled up on a darker support. |
André Bon June 2020