About Lithophane socia Hufnagel, 1766
Technical description and variation: The wingspan of Lithophane socia ranges from 38 to 46 mm. Compared to Lithophane semibrunnea Haw., this species has broader forewings, with a blackish streak extending from below the cell near the wing base. The inner marginal area is less fully darkened than in L. semibrunnea. Its stigmata are more distinct, pale ochreous, and conversely oblique; the reniform stigma extends below the median vein and is edged below by a thick black line. A more or less distinct dark median shade is present, and black wedge-shaped marks occur before the submarginal line. The form ab. umbrosa Esp., which includes pallida Tutt that appears to only be an extremely pale, less-marked variant of umbrosa, is more uniform ochreous brown and lacks dark suffusion. The form rufescens Tutt is a much rarer variant, found in western England and Ireland, where the ochreous base color is suffused with rosy. More information can be found in Noctuidae Europaeae.
