Agrotis bigramma

Synonyms/other combinations:
Agrotis crassa

Agrotis bigramma: Male (e.l. rearing, Cyprus, Paphos, larva in late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Male (e.l. rearing, Cyprus, Paphos, larva in late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Male (e.l. rearing, Cyprus, Paphos, larva in late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Male (e.l. rearing, Cyprus, Paphos, larva in late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Male (e.l. rearing, Cyprus, Paphos, larva in late February 2017) Agrotis bigramma: Male (e.l. rearing, Cyprus, Paphos, larva in late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Male (e.l. rearing, Cyprus, Paphos, larva in late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Male (e.l. rearing, Cyprus, Paphos, larva in late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Young larva (breeding photo 2016) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (breeding photo 2016) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (breeding photo 2016) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (breeding photo 2016) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva in moulting rest into last instar (SW-Germany, Upper Rhine Valley, Waghäusl, 10. March 2015) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (e.l. rearing, SW-Germany, Upper Rhine Valley, Waghäusl, larvae on 10. March 2015) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (e.l. rearing, SW-Germany, Upper Rhine Valley, Waghäusl, larvae on 10. March 2015) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (e.l. rearing, SW-Germany, Upper Rhine Valley, Waghäusl, larvae on 10. March 2015) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (e.l. rearing, SW-Germany, Upper Rhine Valley, Waghäusl, larvae on 10. March 2015) Agrotis bigramma: Larva (e.l. rearing, SW-Germany, Upper Rhine Valley, Waghäusl, larvae on 10. March 2015) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (e.l. rearing, SW-Germany, Upper Rhine Valley, Waghäusl, larvae on 10. March 2015) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (e.l. rearing, SW-Germany, Upper Rhine Valley, Waghäusl, larvae on 10. March 2015) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Half-grown larva (Cyprus, Paphos, late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (Cyprus, Paphos, late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (Cyprus, Paphos, late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (Cyprus, Paphos, late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (Cyprus, Paphos, late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (Cyprus, Paphos, late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larva (Cyprus, Paphos, late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Male pupa (e.l. rearing, Cyprus, Paphos, larva in late February 2017) [S] Agrotis bigramma: Larval habitat, larvae buried into the sandy embankment (SW-Germany, Upper Rhine Valley, Waghäusl, 10. March 2015) [N] Agrotis bigramma: Habitat in a sandy grassland (SW-Germany, Upper Rhine Valley, Waghäusl, 10. March 2015) [N] Agrotis bigramma: Larval habitat (Cyprus, Paphos, late February 2017) [N]

Host plants:
The larvae are polyphagous on low-growing parts of plants.

Habitat:
Agrotis bigramma inhabits open or semi-open landscapes with a good portion of open soil, e.g. sandy grasslands, sandy agricultural land, vine yards, rocky garigues, steppe grasslands.

Life cycle:
The moths occur between July and September, in the South often only from September to October/November. The larva hibernates and is mature in March or April (sometimes May), in the South already in February/March. I found it in Cyprus in late February and in the Upper Rhine Valley on 10. March 2015 (here still in penultimate instar). While the larvae rested under stones on grass roots etc. in Cyprus, they had buried deep into the sand in the Upper Rhine Valley (much deeper than the already mature Agrotis segetum at the same place).
The larva aestivates prior to pupation as it is the case with many later flying Agrotis.

Remarks:
Agrotis bigramma occurs from N-Africa across Southern and locally also Central Europe to parts of W-Asia (Eastward app. to Afghanistan).



Agrotis boetica | Agrotis cinerea | Agrotis clavis | Agrotis corralejoi | Agrotis desertorum | Agrotis exclamationis | Agrotis herzogi | Agrotis ipsilon | Agrotis lanzarotensis | Agrotis obesa | Agrotis puta | Agrotis rutae | Agrotis sabine | Agrotis segetum | Agrotis simplonia | Agrotis trifurca | Agrotis trux | Agrotis vestigialis 
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